“I think the rules are fine as they are” - Alpine boss doesn't want correction in F1’s race finish rules despite Melbourne mayhem

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer is happy with Formula 1's race finish rules despite a chaotic end to the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.

This season's race Down Under saw three red flags and several safety cars being deployed as Max Verstappen emerged victorious, with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso completing the podium.

Alex Albon crashed his Williams at Turn 6 on lap 7, which first led to a virtual safety car before the red flag came out. Kevin Magnussen's right-rear wheel came off following a crash when he was exiting Turn 2, which brought out another red flag, this time with just three laps left.

When the race eventually restarted once again, there was chaos across the grid as Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly collided. Logan Sargeant bumped into Nyck de Vries, ending both their races right before the finish. This led to the red flag coming out for a record third time, followed by a 30-minute delay to work out how the race would end.

Despite widespread calls for F1 to restructure their rules, Alpine boss Szafnauer has stated that the rules are "fine as they are" because it is not possible to envisage and cater to every scenario. He said (via autosport):

"In this situation if you say: 'Okay, well, let's change the rules, because it would have helped', there will be other situations where the opposite happens. The rules are what they are, and whatever they are, you can't change them in race.

He added:

"After the season, if you look back at it, it will be 50-50 whether that's good or bad, because we will have so many different scenarios where at one time it helps and the other time it doesn't. So, I think the rules are fine as they are."

Szafnauer believes that once a season begins with a set of rules, they should be adhered to and any changes to them can be made once the season has concluded. He opined:

"My true belief is that we can have these scenarios... you've got to set the rules at the beginning and then stick to them. Now if we want to look at them afterwards that's fine too, let the sporting directors look at it."

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Alpine boss welcomes lengthy break to build more spare parts ahead of Baku race

The chaotic Australian GP was not a memorable one for Alpine, as their drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly collided in the closing laps, forcing both cars to retire with serious damage.

With a four-week break for Formula 1 before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer stated that the team will use the time to stock up on replacement components.

Speaking during the team principal conference at the Australian GP, he said:

"The break wasn’t planned but it is a welcome break from both getting ample car parts, spares as well as when we do bring developments."

The Romanian-American stressed the need to have a strong supply of spares for the Baku street race, which is also the season's first Sprint event. He said:

"There is more jeopardy because it’s a street race and some of the walls are pretty close."

Alpine will be back in action at the end of the month when F1 heads to Azerbaijan for the Baku Grand Prix.