Fernando Alonso said drivers who crash and cause a red flag in qualifying should lose their position in the session and start last.
Alonso finished ninth in a messy qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which had four separate red flag stoppages caused by crashes for Lance Stroll, Antonio Giovinazzi, Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.
Two weeks ago, Charles Leclerc kept pole position despite crashing at the end of qualifying, which ended the session before anyone else could challenge his lap time.
That raised questions of whether F1 should adopt something similar to IndyCar’s rule, which sees drivers docked their two fastest times if they crash and cause a red flag.
With F1’s rules allowing those cars which crashed to be repaired ahead of Sunday’s race while the rest are subject to parc ferme conditions, Alonso said it provides an unfair advantage.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Alonso said: « It was messy, it was difficult to get into the rhythm, into the pace, but it was the same for everybody.
« I think we didn’t use all the potential of the car because every time we put a new set of tyres, we didn’t use it.
« [It is] unfair probably that the people that crashed, they repair the car and they start in that position tomorrow.
« All the other cars, we are in parc ferme until tomorrow, we cannot touch the car, so why they can change all the parts that they caused the red flag?
« Maybe one day we are in that position and we take advantage of the rule.
« I think the people need to calm down a little bit and drive 98% in a street circuit because if you crash and you start last in the race, maybe you don’t drive over your possibilities.
« And I think today with so many people driving over the possibilities of their car or their abilities. »
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Alonso said: « It was messy, it was difficult to get into the rhythm, into the pace, but it was the same for everybody.
« I think we didn’t use all the potential of the car because every time we put a new set of tyres, we didn’t use it.
« [It is] unfair probably that the people that crashed, they repair the car and they start in that position tomorrow.
« All the other cars, we are in parc ferme until tomorrow, we cannot touch the car, so why they can change all the parts that they caused the red flag?
« Maybe one day we are in that position and we take advantage of the rule.
« I think the people need to calm down a little bit and drive 98% in a street circuit because if you crash and you start last in the race, maybe you don’t drive over your possibilities.
« And I think today with so many people driving over the possibilities of their car or their abilities. »
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/31571393/alonso-drivers-lose-position-causing-red-flag
