Fernando Alonso weighs in on “unfair” duration of winter testing to prepare for F1 championship 

Ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has suggested that F1 preseason testing is unjust for the racers.

After wrapping up the 2024 F1 car launch, preseason testing is currently underway at the Bahrain International Circuit. In three days of testing from February 21 to 23, the drivers and teams will evaluate the racing prowess of the car and make the modifications required to dominate the grid.

However, per FIA rules, a team can put only one car on the track. It means that a driver will effectively test the car for only one-and-a-half days, and Fernando Alonso has expressed dissatisfaction with that rule.

The two-time F1 world champion said earlier this week (via RacingNews365):

“We have a very limited testing in Bahrain, which is, and by the way I can say now, I've been thinking all winter about this, how unfair is [it] that we have one day and a half to prepare a world championship.”

Fernando Alonso added:

“With all the money involved, and with all the marketing and the good things that we say about Formula 1, and being closer and closer to the fans, I cannot understand why we then go to Bahrain for four days, which could be two and two for [each of] the drivers.

“If you go to three, which is not even, which is an odd number, you cannot divide [fairly] between the drivers. And I don't know why we don't go with two cars.”

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Fernando Alonso expresses confidence in AMR24, vows not to repeat mistakes from 2023

Fernando Alonso started the 2023 season well, providing some competition to arguably the most successful Formula 1 car of all time, the Red Bull RB19. However, as the season progressed, the in-season developments plummeted the team's performance, as they ended the year in P5.

Nevertheless, Alonso firmly believes in the AMR24's capability to compete better than it did last season. He showcased his confidence in the team ahead of the 2024 season, saying (via motorsport.com):

"I'm confident. If not, I could not maybe sleep for the last two months! But I think we did a lot of experiments and a lot of changes back and forth in terms of understanding the problems and the direction and the paths that we need to follow this year on the car."

The Aston Martin driver added:

"With this year's car we intend to improve some of those weaknesses that we saw in terms of developing the car last year that we maybe got into the wrong direction a few times, and we understood a little bit too late. Hopefully we have that knowledge, those difficulties from last year were lessons that we took on board for the '24 car, and we will see the result."