P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Alonso explains mid-race soft tyre strategy in F1 Chinese GP
The Aston Martin driver started the Chinese GP with limited tyre options, only having one set of fresh hards and two sets of fresh mediums, which restricted his strategy flexibility compared to his competitors. When the first safety car period was triggered due to Valtteri Bottas’ incident, Alonso had to switch to soft tires as he had no more hard tires to last till the end. This forced him into a three-stop strategy, dropping him to 12th after his second pitstop, but he managed to climb back to seventh and secure the fastest lap bonus point. Aston Martin’s team principal explained that due to high tyre degradation, they took the risk of a three-stop strategy with limited tire availability, resulting in a seventh-place finish with damage limitation. Despite briefly holding second place at the start, Alonso knew sustaining it would be tough as Aston Martin was considered the fifth-fastest team in China. Alonso expressed hope for better opportunities in the future and highlighted the challenges of maintaining positions amidst fierce competition.
