The F1 World Championship arrives this weekend in Austria, where the classification will be held this Friday (5:00 p.m.) that will determine the starting grid for Sunday. Fernando Alonso, third in the championship, 78 points behind Max Verstappan, after second place in Canada, believes that Aston Martin has not yet gotten too close to Red Bull, despite the 9 seconds that separated them in Montreal. "We will try to close the gap with Red Bull", hopes the two-time champion from Oviedo.
"I think we had a different performance in Barcelona and in Canada, with different sensations with the car. So I hope that we are closer to the performance of Canada and try to exploit the package a little more", commented the Spaniard at the press conference in the FIA at the Spielberg circuit.
That is why the Spaniard considers that his green car has not yet gotten close enough to Red Bull: "I think we have to wait for different circuits, because in Barcelona, which was only two weeks before Canada, we were 55 seconds or 1 minute from the leaders. I think Canada was something specific to the circuit, but hopefully we can close that gap."
For Alonso, "the team's priority" in Austria is "fighting with Mercedes and Ferrari for second place in the World Cup"... "Although we will keep an eye on Red Bull."
"That fight is definitely more interesting for us. I think Red Bull is in its own league this year. So for us it's important to score points with both cars every weekend and try to keep up the fight with Mercedes and Ferrari," he explained. the asturian.
The Austrian GP will be the second of the year to host the Sprint race (the short test on Saturday), with the novelty that this time the drivers will be able to use soft tires used in the last sleeve of the previous classification (Sprint Shootout). , the Q3.
Asked about the format, Alonso proposes that the classification be done in a single lap. "It would be ideal in my opinion. It could create some drama in case of weather changes. It would focus television coverage on a single pilot and it would be good for sponsors," said the Spaniard.
The Austrian GP, the ninth round of the F1 season, starts this Friday with the first and only free practice (1:30-2:30 p.m.), which will be followed by the qualifying session for the race on Sunday, the traditional one-hour session structured in Q1-Q2-Q3 (5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.).
On Saturday the specific classification of the short race (Sprint Shootout) will be held, from 12:00 to 12:44. And then the Sprint (16:30 to 17:00).
On Sunday the usual long race is held (3:00 p.m.).
