Hockenheim: Fernando Alonso says Formula One’s latest controversy over interpretation of yellow flags became a major issue only because it involved world championship challenger Nico Rosberg.
The two-time world champion Spaniard said that during his time in Formula One yellow flags were never a problem — except if a driver is chasing the world title.
“I’ve been racing 16 years in F1,” said Alonso. “There were never issues, apart from when you’re fighting for the world championship, or if Nico is doing it.
“So I don’t see any problem. It will not be a problem in the future. There is no need for clarification.
“The stewards have all the information, the telemetry. Sometimes they put some penalties, sometimes they don’t. It was always like that.
“It’s a little bit inconsistent, but I don’t see any difference in this Nico pole position than in the last 16 years of F1.”
Rosberg took pole position at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix after driving through a waved double yellow flags zone and slowing by only one-tenth of a second.
After a stewards’ inquiry, he was allowed to keep pole despite protests from other drivers that it was normal protocol to lift off and slow by at least half a second.
An in-form Rosberg dominated Friday’s opening free practice for this weekend’s German Grand Prix, clocking the fastest lap ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Just five days after losing the leadership of this year’s drivers’ world championship for the first time, the 31-year-old German responded with a flawless demonstration of smooth lapping on home soil at Hockenheim.
Rosberg clocked a fastest lap of one minute and 15.517 seconds to outpace defending three-time champion Hamilton by 0.326 seconds, the Briton never looking likely to match his teammate’s speed.
It was the seventh successive Friday morning session this year to be dominated by the two Mercedes men with a one-two on top of the time-sheets in front of fans and staff from the manufacturer’s factories.
Four-time champion and fellow-German Sebastian Vettel was third-fastest for Ferrari, 1.150 seconds off the pace, ahead of his teammate Kimi Raikkonen.
The two Red Bull drivers, Dutch teenager Max Verstappen and Australian Daniel Ricciardo, in his 100th Grand Prix, were fifth and sixth ahead of the two Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and 2009 champion Jenson Button.
Russian Daniil Kvyat was ninth for Toro Rosso ahead of his teammate Carlo Sainz.
In a relatively uneventful session, Rosberg’s precision around the ‘technical’ track gave him a clear early advantage over Hamilton who found it unrewarding to throw his car around with his normal vigour.
Hamilton completed a hat-trick of successive wins in Hungary last weekend to move six points clear of Rosberg in the title race.
Meanwhile, Red Bull team chief Christian Horner on Friday defended Formula One’s decision to postpone the introduction of cockpit ‘halos’ and said not enough research and development had been carried out.
Horner spoke out after drivers’ union boss Alex Wurz warned that the move, taken on Thursday by the Formula One Strategy Group, had put business interests before driver safety.
“I disagree with that,” said Horner. “We’ve agreed for a system to come in 2018, but it needs to be fully researched, fully developed and fully tested.
“At the moment, other than a couple of installation laps from a couple of drivers, there’s been no (testing) mileage put on this.”
He added that new tyre compounds are always tested intensively and extensively before they are introduced and said the same rigour must be applied to safety components.
News of the rejection of the proposed cockpit protection device came just hours after four-time world champion Vettel warned “nothing justifies death.”
The Ferrari driver said: “It would be the first time in human history that we’ve learnt a lesson and we did not change.”
