Fernando Alonso delivers danger warning as Dutch GP rain threat looms

Sam Cooper 27 Aug 2023 11:30 AM

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso's car in the wet.

Fernando Alonso has warned that rain could make for a dangerous Dutch Grand Prix with visibility an issue.

The weather has proven particularly challenging this weekend with no consistent periods of either dry or wet.

And Aston Martin’s Alonso has warned that the changeable conditions could have an impact on the safety of the race in Zandvoort.

Fernando Alonso warns of wet weather troubles in Zandvoort

Qualifying was a difficult challenge with rain easing and allowing drivers to switch from wets to slicks during Q3.

Alonso, who qualified P5, said he was unable to even register a timed lap within the opening stages of Q1.

“The first three laps for me, I didn’t put a lap on the board in Q1,” he told media including PlanetF1.com.

“But it was not only for me obviously. That was also a moment with Lewis there in the last corner.

“It is a very short track, no visibility. So even for Sunday, I hope for a dry race just because visibility… it is the most dangerous part of racing at the moment.”

As for the car, Alonso said it felt like a “step forward” after a difficult few races.

“We did all of our tests, feeling wise the car felt better,” the Spaniard said.

“But also the data confirmed that the new upgrade was working as expected in the wind tunnel, so definitely a step forward. I think that the P5 is also thanks to that extra performance that we had in the car.

“Thanks to everyone in the factory, I know that they’ve been working really flat out in July. We had the four races in July plus all the work in the factory to produce these parts because in August, with the factory being closed we could not make any steps.

“So everything was made in July and it was a very intense month for everyone.”

But there is still room for improvement with McLaren looking like the second fastest car behind Red Bull.

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“I think there were some areas that we were not strong enough, traction and grip on the corners generally,” Alonso noted.

“We seemed to struggle a little bit for a couple of events now and I think [at Zandvoort] it felt better.

“也是我说的数据,这是最important part these days, confirmed that the expectations from the wind tunnel, they were true on track so this is very important for future development.”