Fernando Alonso has revealed he wants to see the return of single-lap qualifying in Formula 1 at shorter circuits to help eradicate impeding incidents. Numerous drivers were investigated by the stewards after qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix for disrupting laps, with Alpine driver Pierre Gasly notably unhappy with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz. The Frenchman called for Sainz to be "banned" after a near-miss in the wet conditions, where the Spaniard slowed on the entry to the final chicane in Montreal. The Red Bull Ring has historically caused traffic issues in qualifying due to the short track length, and when asked ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend if it would be a topic that drivers would discuss, Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.com : "It is a topic every weekend and specifically in short circuits."
Alonso wants return of single lap qualifying
"There are a few options to improve this; one is single-lap qualifying like in the past," added the two-time World Champion. "That will be ideal, in my opinion, because only one car on track [with] full TV coverage for that lap for everyone's sponsors. "This creates a little bit of drama in case of weather changes in between qualifying. You could see pole position in different cars, with different names. So that was my preferred option." Alonso also noted the qualifying format adopted by F1 feeder-series Formula 2 at circuits like Monaco, where the field is too big for the traditional format, and suggested: "You can split the grid, like the junior formulas do in Monaco."
The last time F1 had single-lap qualifying
F1 last had single-lap qualifying in 2003 when drivers would set lap times in championship order on Friday, then the slowest would take to the track on Saturday to repeat the process. As an added bonus to 'spice up' the action, drivers also had to set their laps on race fuel levels. However, the system was fraught with problems as drivers would always be disadvantaged by the running order, either by the track conditions or bad weather. The format also led to manipulation from drivers and teams, as they worked out ways to game the system to their advantage. Michael Schumacher admitted to spinning his car on purpose during one occasion, so he would get the slowest time in the initial session and be first out for the actual qualifying run.
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