Fernando Alonso has moved to temper expectations ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, saying the Sprint format would "not be ideal" for his Aston Martin team. This weekend's Spielberg race is the second of six Sprint events in 2023, with the change in format meaning there is just one Free Practice session instead of the three that feature on a standard Grand Prix weekend. The altered format means less time for Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll to get their AMR23 dialled into the Red Bull Ring in a non-competitive setting, prompting Alonso to suggest that the team needed more time to understand the recent upgrades to the car. "I think the Sprint weekend will not be ideal for us," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.com . "We still [need] more time in Free Practice with our new upgraded car. We still need to understand and optimise the package a little bit and in Austria, obviously with the Sprint, we will have only FP1 to do that. "But it is what it is. The circuit will be good and maybe better for the package as well, this one with a strange layout, let's say. "Maybe good for Ferrari, historically here as well with a long straight and short corners, so maybe in Austria we have a little bit more pace."
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