‘A problem with the kids’ - Fernando Alonso shoots down shorter F1 races idea

Fernando Alonso has dismissed suggestions that proposed shorter F1 races would improve the sport.

F1 weekends could undergo radical changes with CEO Stefano Domenicali looking to improve the experience for younger audiences and shorter attention spans.

Proposals under discussion include the addition of more sprint races, reverse grids and shortening the length of grands prix.

DOWNLOAD CRASH F1 PODCAST HERE

But two-time world champion Alonso does not think shortening races is the answer.

“I will be in front of the TV when that happens so,” the 44-year-old Aston Martin driver joked ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza. “I don’t think it’s a problem with the sport.

“Football matches are a bit long. When I am sat in front of the TV I am not watching the 90 minutes concentrated. I go to the kitchen, I go back.

“There is always some moments of distraction and no one is talking about having 60 minute football matches or something like that.

"It's a problem with society and the kids but not the sport, so probably it's not needed the change.”

Instead, Alonso thinks refuelling would be a better way to spice up the action.

“You need to do your own race and find your way into the race to find your natural position at the end of the race if you execute it well,” the Spaniard continued.

“If it’s too short like some of the sprint races, with a bad qualifying or whatever, there is no time to execute anything. It’s difficult to follow, all the cars have the same tyre age. It is not possible to recover some places.

“The longer race gives you that possibility, that freedom with the strategy. It’s a difficult topic.

“Probably refuelling would be the best thing. I’ve said this many times, it’s on the totally opposite direction to how it’s going but when you can choose your fuel load and can have differing strategies, that changes completely the way the race unfolds.

“That creates an incredible, attractive strategy and races.”

F1 drivers open to more sprint races

MotoGP currently has sprint races at every round and this is something F1 could adopt in the future.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who scored his maiden F1 pole position at the Miami sprint race, would be happy to see more sprint races added.

“Sprint weekends are fun because they have a lot of activity,” Antonelli said. “You have to be on point straightaway because you have one practice and then qualifying.

“But I think shorter races, I don’t think it would really work because now we do one stop strategy with the tyres we have. They would have to implement so many more rules for a shorter race in terms of pit stops and so on.

“I don’t think it would change so much. Also with a longer race, you have more time to build your race. I cannot really give a clear answer on this.

“But sprint weekends are fun, so it wouldn’t be bad having more of them.”