Fernando Alonso Urges Las Vegas to Seek Inspiration from Saudi Arabia Over Problems on Track

Fernando Alonso has urged Formula 1 and the FIA to seek inspiration from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to mitigate the problems of the Las Vegas GP track as per reports on X. The Spaniard explained how the track is not very exciting because of the low grip and long straights.

He was quoted on X as saying, “The track is not very exciting with these long straights. The asphalt has very little grip. I don’t know why they don’t copy the circuits that we know work, like in Arabia Saudi or other circuits”.

🔴 Fernando Alonso admet qu’il aime courir à Las Vegas mais aimerait que le circuit change à l’avenir !

💬 “La piste n’est pas très excitante avec ces longues lignes droites, l’asphalte a très peu d’adhérence. Je ne sais pas pourquoi ils ne copient pas les circuits dont on sait… pic.twitter.com/Y5U1HFe9jE

— Off Track (@OffTrack_FR) November 18, 2023

There is low grip on the Las Vegas GP circuit primarily for two reasons. Firstly, the tarmac laid down is brand-spanking new and there have been no support races to ‘lay down the rubber.‘ Secondly, the temperatures in Las Vegas are not high enough for the low-profile Pirelli tires to fire up enough to generate enough grip.

Meanwhile, in Jeddah, the street circuit is laced with high-speed, high-load corners that generate a lot of heat in the tires. Hence, it is easier for the drivers to get the tires working in an optimum window as compared to Las Vegas, where the endless straights don’t allow heat or grip generation. As a result, Alonso is not optimistic about the main race as well.

Fernando Alonso writes off struggling Aston Martin at 2023 Las Vegas GP

After scrapping through to Q3, Fernando Alonso is not too optimistic about his chances in the race tomorrow. This mainly comes from the fact that the Aston Martin is a draggier car than its competition, and hence, lacks out-and-out straight-line speed. “There is nothing I can do,” Alonso told the media.

Alonso’s admissions could come as a disappointment for the Silverstone-based team. Aston Martin were hopeful of getting 4th in the Constructors’ Championship. However, with only two races to go, a bad result at Las Vegas would put them out of contention in their battle with McLaren.

Fernando Alonso says that they will be vulnerable tomorrow with their straight-line deficit.

“There is nothing I can do”, he told the written media session.

Source: @PitDebrief | @JOC__1991 pic.twitter.com/ZodSC6RvWy

— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) November 18, 2023

However, it is pertinent to note that McLaren have not performed much better either. Both their cars could not even progress to Q2.

Ferrari produced the major surprise as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz registered the two fastest lap times during the qualifying session. However, although the Spaniard was the second fastest, he will still start in twelfth because of a 10-place grid penalty.