Fernando Alonso has proposed a method of combating the problem of high levels of spray on Formula 1 circuits, in order to curb danger amid wet-weather racing.
Last week’s Belgian Grand Prix reopened previous debate about the level of visibility when racing in wet conditions, with the race start being delayed by over an hour.
The FIA’s decision to allow the heavy rainfall to pass before beginning proceedings was criticised by drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
However, it was reported that some drivers complained of low visibility, therefore vindicating race control’s move to err on the side of caution.
Alonso, whose career has encompassed many eras of F1 car and circuit, has theorised that the surfaces on some of the tracks today are causing spray to kick up worse than had previously done.
Speaking to media including Motorsport Week ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Alonso said that the tyres were also a factor, but believed that newer layers of tarmac were a significant cause.
“I think the tyres, the wide tyres definitely made visibility worse,” he said. “And probably some of the asphalt in the circuits, they are a little bit different than what they’ve been in the past.
“Because we raced with a lot of water in Sepang [the Malaysian Grand Prix] and it was always okay.
“And now this new generation of asphalt, which is very black and very grippy in dry conditions, is like a mirror in wet conditions.
“And yeah, visibility is not nice. But I don’t know what we can do there or what the tyres can do in a very rough tarmac.”
Alonso cited public motorways as an example of how it can be done, but did acknowledge that slick tyres may suffer in dry conditions if such a change was implemented.
“And even some of the highways, I have said many times that the highways, there are some that they have zero spray,” he said.
“So if we implement that tarmac in all the circuits as a normal rule, we will have zero spray.
“Then it will be a huge degradation, probably, in dry conditions – I don’t know. But then we can work from that theme and have a starting point. But I’m just a driver.”
Sainz takes Alonso approach on ‘certain kind of tarmac’
Alonso’s countryman Carlos Sainz corroborated the theory, saying that a potential relaying of asphalt might be a solution that could benefit racing to go ahead.
“I always thought Formula 1 should almost like, if possible, innovate and try something different,” the Williams driver told media including Motorsport Week. “I think there are certain kind of tarmacs that if you would put them on a straight line there would be no spray, and they exist, but circuits don’t have them. Most circuits don’t have it.”
Sainz speculated that recent big accidents, some of them fatal, on the Spa-Francorchamps track, were also a contributing factor in the FIA’s cautious approach to the race.
He suggested that a more public communication of this intent might have been beneficial for the fans watching the race, as many were left impatiently waiting for on track action to commence.
“In the end the biggest problem for us is visibility,” he said. “It’s what keeps us from racing. I think Spa is a very particular case where there’s been a very dark past at this track.
“The FIA consciously took a very conservative approach and they warned us on Thursday that they would take a very conservative approach.
“Maybe we should have done a better job in communicating that or they should have communicated to the fans, to the world, how we’re going to play very easy because of its dark past and this is what’s happened in the past and why we’re going to play safe on Sunday.
“It’s for everyone maybe to have a bit more awareness but I do think we could have obviously raced a bit earlier than what we did.
“Going a bit earlier after the red flag and the Safety Car could have lasted a bit less long. But you also need to put yourself in the shoes of the people that press the button to say go.
“Then there’s a massive accident because of a lack of visibility and something fatal could happen.
“They are in the end responsible for that situation to occur if you press the button.
“I understand also the conservative approach they took even though as a racing driver I wish we could have raced a bit earlier.”
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