LSunday’s race at the Austrian Grand Prix It was crazy. There were many, too many, radio communications within the teams. Everyone warned their pilots to stay inside the runway, without exceeding the limits of the circuit. For Fernando Alonso that was not a problem. However, communication with his engineer did turn out to be somewhat chaotic.
In the Aston Martin garage there was the thing with the pit stops to change tires. With the virtual safety car active, they ordered the pilot to stay on the track: “Virtual Safety Car. Stay out of the box”, they told him. The decision did not give the Asturian much confidence, who questioned whether it was the correct strategy. “Are you sure?” he asked his team.
Alonso complied with the indication and did not enter. However, soon after they became a mess. They ordered him in, but they immediately canceled that order. By then it was already too late. The pilot was already on his way to the pitlane, so there was no turning back. “Stay out. You’re in. Okay, okay, never mind”pointed out his engineer.
At the second stop, there were also problems. When the race was already on lap 44, the first five still had to change tires. It was then that they called him to stop by the garage. “Box, box, for medium tires”, they told him. When the notice arrived, the Spaniard had already passed the entrance to the pitlane and it was then that he reproached his engineer. “Next lap. You can’t tell me so late, mate”Alonso pointed out.
Also problems with tires
The decision of whether to put the Spaniard in the box, or not, was not the only one that made the Aston Martin team doubt. The compound to choose was the source of more doubts. “What tire would you like to put on?”, asked his engineer. The pilot was not clear on his choice and he recognized it. However, the team was able to solve it by consulting the choices of the rest of the squires. “We can get more information from other carsthey told him.
Finally they repeated with a new set of medium tires. The decision, in principle, was the correct one, because they had no problems maintaining their position. However, the pace that the Aston Martins showed in Austria did not allow them to fight with anyone eitherso if a battle had been fought, it is not known what would have happened.
Communication in the race: a point to improve
Fernando Alonso I asked for calm on the radio, because he was aware that the situation could play a trick on them and there were still many laps left. “Let’s keep calm. It’s a very long race,” warn. In Monaco, the pressure of the situation could have influenced the result after making a hasty decision and the two-time champion did not want that to happen again.
In this sense, he considers that if there is something they should improve, it is in the messages he receives throughout his degree. “I think maybe we need a bit clearer communication for the pit stops, but I think it didn’t change the outcome of the race.”declared for sky sports after the Austrian Grand Prix finished, showing himself satisfied with his performance.
