In today’s Formula 1, racing in the rain is a thing of the past, and in most races where it rains, the rain stops, frustrating drivers, but especially spectators, who know that racing in these conditions makes for a greater spectacle and opens up a range of possibilities on the track. Formula 1 is looking for solutions so that races can be held in these conditions, and Fernando Alonso himself has some good ideas that could be implemented in the future.
Rain, a problem for F1 since 2017
Since 2017, when the regulations governing the current F1 came into force, racing in the rain seems like an almost impossible task. It is not a problem of grip, or that drivers no longer know how to race in these conditions, it is a problem of visibility, because the cars are wider than ever, heavier, and because the current Pirelli wet tires are capable of filtering a lot of water, creating a curtain that prevents drivers from seeing when they are grouped together, posing a real risk to the safety of each of them. The Oviedo driver himself commented on this when the Spa race could not start.
“I think that since 2017, with the regulations and the wide tires, visibility is worse. But it’s a very difficult issue. As we know, we all want to race, if we’re alone, we can race, there’s no problem. But if you’re in a group of cars, you can’t see anything.”
“And unfortunately, we’ve had too many bad examples, especially at Spa, of poor visibility and very big accidents. So, you know, we all want to be brave. We all want to be drivers and spectators at home too. But then, when an accident happens, we remember that it’s okay to wait half an hour longer. Unfortunately, that’s the way it is.”
But Fernando Alonso, in addition to the problems with the weight of the cars and the current tires, has identified a key factor that could change everything and allow us to see wet races again: the type of asphalt on the circuits.
“I think the tires also made visibility worse. And probably some of the asphalt is a little different from what it has been in the past.” “We raced in heavy rain at Sepang and at different circuits and it was always fine. And now this new generation of asphalt, which is very black and has a lot of grip in dry conditions, is like a mirror in wet conditions. And yes, visibility is not good.”
What would a change of asphalt mean?
Asphalt is key to preventing a wet Grand Prix, and Fernando Alonso believes this is a good starting point for addressing the problem. However, going back to the old asphalt could mean greater wear on the tires, even in dry conditions, although given the current state of F1, where tires can last almost the entire race and leave little room for different strategies, it could be an effective solution to make the races more exciting.
“I don’t know what we can do or what the tires can do on very rough asphalt. And even on some tracks, I’ve said many times that there’s zero spray. So if we implement that asphalt on all circuits as a normal rule, we’ll have zero spray.“
”But then there will probably be significant degradation in dry conditions, I don’t know. But we can work from there and have a starting point. But I’m just a driver.”
F1 must address the issue of rain for the future. It cannot allow races to be canceled under conditions that have been present throughout the history of F1 and that have provided greater entertainment to the world of racing. Fernando Alonso offers ideas, but it is the international governing body that must act to put an end to this problem.