Alonso takes aim at F1 broadcast over “grumpy guy” portrayal

Fernando Alonso has taken intention at System One Administration [FOM] for portraying him as a “grumpy man” after a workforce radio rant over the efficiency of his Aston Martin throughout Friday’s observe for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was broadcast.

The 2-time System 1 world champion has a protracted record of well-known workforce radio messages the place he has voiced his displeasure, most notably when with McLaren in the course of the ill-fated Honda years final decade.

Frustration has been rising given Aston Martin’s struggles in breaking into the highest 10 this season, particularly given its sturdy begin to final 12 months’s marketing campaign, with Alonso telling his workforce: “Worst automobile ever, and worst site visitors preparation ever. Subsequent time I’ll do the out-lap myself.”

Regardless of his lack of delight with the AMR24, the Spaniard took eighth on the grid with a strong qualifying efficiency on the Yas Marina Circuit, giving Alonso and the Silverstone-based outfit the prospect to complete the 12 months on a excessive.

Requested how he pulled off his qualifying efficiency after his frustration in observe, Alonso replied: “However at the moment I mentioned that I had a superb feeling. So yeah, I imply, we began on the mistaken foot, for positive, the automobile was very disconnected entrance and rear. They weren’t speaking to one another.

“We made some set-up adjustments in a single day. We did not achieve bettering the efficiency, as a result of FP3, we have been seventeenth and nineteenth. So nonetheless not there. So we made additional adjustments earlier than qualifying, and evidently we discovered the window the place the automobile is happier.

“So yeah, these automobiles are so important, the working window is so slender that it isn’t simple to search out it. It appears that evidently we did it earlier than quali. Blissful to begin eighth, however it will be a tricky race tomorrow.”

On whether or not the struggles in observe marked the bottom level of the season, Alonso levelled criticism at FOM for its broadcast choices.

“It was a nasty site visitors. It was a frustration constructing. However yeah, as regular, you understand, some feedback are good, some feedback are unhealthy, however FOM has this repair with me, with unhealthy feedback – however I am proud of that. It is their job.

“Yesterday I had some optimistic issues [to say] as effectively however as I mentioned, FOM, they should promote that I am the grumpy man. They tried for a few years and they won’t succeed.

“I did not have a superb time [in practice] however I feel all these conversations are very non-public together with your engineer. You are attempting generally various things. You talk about some out-lap preparations that possibly I do not agree with the engineers.

“They need to attempt anyway, it does not work. So that you inform them, ‘Wow, you understand this – we knew it beforehand’, or one thing like that.

“However when you do not have all that context behind and also you simply put the radio message, it is simply mistaken. However it’s the method they do it.”

Pictures from Abu Dhabi GP Apply & Qualifying