Monza - Alonso Race Strategy

[TedN]

On the TSN qualifying coverage this morning, Vic Rauter made as astute observation. He wondered out loud if Alonso slowed down on purpose after his spin in order to conserve fuel for tomorrow. His reasoning was that crawling around the balance of the lap may have saved enough fuel to gain an extra lap or two on the first race stint.

Comments?

Ted

[Hugh Jarce]

I guess he had to make the best of a bad deal and that meant gaining a lap or so in the race.

I still reckon he could get in the points - even with that spin!

[Fogelhund]

Rauter's comments make no sense at all. So Alonso conserves a portion of gas, allocated for one lap. He still used some of the gas for that lap. At best, he saved enough for 1/2 a lap, no more. Most certainly one lap of qualifying gas does not equal two laps of race gas.

[Bleu]

If his plan was to save fuel, why he didn't come in during his flying lap then?

I think it would be clever to start from pit lane with 1-stop strategy. Monza first corner has often drama and if he starts from the grid, he could be in the middle of the mayhem.

[TomS]

Once he had spun, why didnt he not "stall" the engine by mistake when trying to pull away so that the team get the car back and can fill it up with fuel for the race. He would have been last anyway so he wouldnt have lost anything by doing this??

[ralf fan]

I think he can easily score points, with that LC of Renault he can easily make up 6 to 7 places at the start!!

[x_dt]

He can definitely score points. Recall that last year Trulli (not acknowledged for his race pace) started from the back of the grid and finished 4th.

[paulzinho]

I was a tad surprised that they didn't just pull him in and work on the car overnight, he said the traction control wasn't working so they'll need to fix that, might as well fill him up to the brim and start from the back, Monza after all is traditionally a one stop race so wouldve been interesting to see him try it.

It might even have been worth a gamble by one of the leading teams second drivers as overtaking is also possible at Monza.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by TedN
On the TSN qualifying coverage this morning, Vic Rauter made as astute observation. He wondered out loud if Alonso slowed down on purpose after his spin in order to conserve fuel for tomorrow.

They all do that, after all, whats the hurry? What i can't believe is that he completed his 3rd lap, why didn't he come into the pits on his "hot" (or slow ) lap and save an extra lap of fuel?

[Mr V]

Originally posted by paulzinho
I was a tad surprised that they didn't just pull him in and work on the car overnight,

They are not allowed to after the Australia/Minardi debacle.

[paulzinho]

Ah right I see, well didn't Mclaren do it after Kimi went off track in Spain?

[Mr V]

No Paul, they didn't. What they should have done, in hindsight is, started him from the pit lane and fuelled him after the parade lap started. This way he wouldn't have hit Pizzonia and also caught up quickley what with Trulli and DC coming together.

[paulzinho]

Hmmm, I thought (almost certain) that Kimi aborted his lap because the team were worried about damage to the floor. And because he didn't finish his lap Kimi automatically started at the back. The team then did what they wanted with the car.

I know they start from the pitlane if the teams make a modification before the start of the race, or that they sometimes come into the pits after the parade lap but those are different situations.

[Fish_Flake]

Alonso's strategy: stay in the back while the front four take each other out at the first chicane, then pass all the minnows en route to an easy victory, putting him within eight points of the championship, leaving him an outside chance at the crown.

[jetsetter]

I'd look at changing the tactics to make it a one stopper & just concentrate on getting a points finish.