Alonso: F1 race direction "too soft" on Abu Dhabi GP qualifying traffic issues – Autosport

Several drivers were summoned to see the stewards for impeding rivals after they were seen running slowly at the end of Q2 as they tried to find a slot to set a flying lap as track conditions continued to improve.
Alpine driver Alonso was impeded by the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo, one of the drivers under investigation.
Alonso was knocked out of Q2 as a result of the incident, and the Spaniard reiterated his unhappiness about race direction not being tough enough with its penalties in situations like this.
“Unfortunately we don’t have anyone policing this,” said Alonso after qualifying. “Race director is too soft on this and if you let us to play on the out-laps and things like that it’s always going to be a mess.
“We need a referee to protect us and at the moment we don’t have it so that’s bad.”
He added: “The issue is we should be a bit more aligned with the things that are right and the things that are wrong. It should be more black and white with what is a penalty and what’s not a penalty.
“And they have to be harsh in some of the decisions.
“In football when someone makes a tackle and there is a bit penalty or whatever, there is a red card, and here they are struggling to show a yellow card or a red card. That’s why we keep repeating the same bad things.”
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF21, Esteban Ocon, Alpine A521, Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari SF21
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Alonso is convinced Ricciardo, as well as other drivers, will be penalised as a result of today’s traffic troubles.
“On the traffic itself, it’s McLaren’s fault,” Alonso added. “The team or the driver or whatever, because even if there is a lot of traffic on the out-lap you need to move when a fast car is coming and he didn’t move.
“I think in Austria Vettel had three places [penalty] so I expect three places minimum or more and let’s see where I start. I think I’ll start ninth, in my opinion, but let’s see.”
The two-time F1 world champion, who qualified in 11th, said every team was guilty of going out right at the end of the sessions, but believes he has avoided any investigations thanks to his Alpine squad being “sharp” in warning him about faster drivers approaching.
“Everybody does that. We do that as well on the out-lap as well,” he said.
“Sometimes there is no way we can pass and we are too slow, slower than what we want, but our team is very sharp on telling us when a fast car is coming so I had zero investigations for impeding the whole year.
“You have to be also sharp and the people who are not sharp they are investigated and normally they get a penalty, but this is another thing. It’s very random.”
Alonso has been one of the most vocal drivers this year, often complaining about the stewards’ decisions.
He reckons nothing has changed for the better so far.
“Oh yeah, definitely much worse. Much worse than in 2018,” he said. “There are no rules out there. Not for the out-lap. There are no minimum times to respect.
“There are a lot of strange movements on the first lap off track. I complained in the first third of the championship. Then I changed attitude and I was doing the same and now there are no more races to impede anyone, but it’s not in my heart to impede.
“No one wants to be in the middle of anyone’s fast lap because then you go to the stewards and normally you get a three-place penalty. I guess that’s what’s gonna happen today.”
Norris “nervous” to start Abu Dhabi F1 finale behind Verstappen and Hamilton
Bottas: Higher mileage F1 power unit cost at least 0.2s in Abu Dhabi qualifying
Ferrari extends Sainz’s F1 deal to the end of 2024
Russian karter loses racing licence over alleged Nazi salute incident
The story of the 2011 Italian Grand Prix
Alonso: ‘Not my problem’ slow Monaco F1 driving frustrated Hamilton
Alonso: Concentration lapse caused Monaco F1 qualifying crash
Why Alonso has no plans to stop his F1 journey anytime soon
Binotto: Ferrari’s Monaco GP mistakes will make us stronger
Wolff: F1 budget cap allowance would help adjust staff salaries
Porpoising: A lesson from history and one of F1’s greatest teams
Why McLaren is committed to ‘make it work’ with Ricciardo – for now
Porpoising: A lesson from history and one of F1’s greatest teams
Although the 2022 Formula 1 season is destined to be forever linked to the word ‘porpoising’, this is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it’s a problem that was identified at the start of the first ground-effects era and has returned with a change in the rules that once more allow downforce-generating floors
The longest-serving Red Bull driver revealing F1’s true brutality
His day of days in Formula 1 came at Indianapolis in 2005, a day grand prix racing strives to forget. But Patrick Friesacher, the long-serving Red Bull lieutenant, remains active today driving a two-seater that provides ordinary people with a glimpse of an F1 car’s savage potential, including this writer…
The mistakes putting Ferrari’s bid to end its F1 title drought in jeopardy
OPINION: After taking an early lead in the 2022 Formula 1 title race, Ferrari and Charles Leclerc have together made a series of high-profile mistakes to give Red Bull an advantage after the opening seven races. Here’s why Ferrari cannot afford to make any more errors this season
How Perez has been better for Red Bull in 2022
OPINION: One week on from getting a ruthless Red Bull team orders call at Barcelona, Sergio Perez delivered the team’s sixth Monaco Grand Prix victory and earned a two-year contract extension. This success backs up discernible improvements the team has noticed in driver who is now his country’s most successful Formula 1 racer
Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Accuracy is more important than ever on a street circuit, and on Monte Carlo’s sodden streets, several drivers stepped up to produce superb performances in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. But on a track where overtaking is famously difficult, many were already resigned to a difficult afternoon by their qualifying performances
The six key F1 moments that meant Perez won Leclerc’s Monaco GP
After retiring from the lead in Spain with the failure of his turbo and MGU-H, Charles Leclerc looked set to bounce back in style in Monaco. He’d done the hard work in qualifying by securing the all-important pole position and led the wet early phases, but his Ferrari team made critical mistakes in tyre strategy that handed the race to Red Bull and Sergio Perez
The astute engine call behind Brabham’s unique F1 feat
At the ripe ‘old’ age of 40, Jack Brabham remained a competitive force – taking advantage of Formula 1 engine capacities doubling to capture a third world championship. In the second part of our four-part history of Brabham, DAMIEN SMITH charts the team’s emergence as a title-winning outfit before its sale to Bernie Ecclestone
Why 2022 could be Leclerc’s best chance to end his Monaco F1 curse
Charles Leclerc’s ill-fortune at his home Formula 1 race is well-established. But his single lap pace and over longer runs during Friday practice will leave the Ferrari driver upbeat that he can make up for his Barcelona disappointment by finally recording a finish and perhaps even banking 25 world championship points in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix

source