Ahead of Alonso’s home Grand Prix in Madrid: will the veteran champion make the difference here?

For 13 years, former champion Fernando Alonso has been waiting for his 33rd Grand Prix victory. Ironically, it was at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix (held at the time at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona) that the Spaniard last stood on the top step of the podium. This weekend, Formula 1 will race for the first time on the new circuit in Madrid, the ‘Madring’. Does Alonso have a chance of pulling off a miracle here? Aston Martin’s Chief Trackside Officer, Mike Krack, is playing down expectations – but also says that, given his skills, Alonso could make a real impact at the Madring. Under certain conditions.

The Madring is a challenge

Mike Krack: “They’ve created something truly extraordinary here. We’ll see how it goes, but at first glance, one has to be positive about the track they’ve managed to build here in such a short space of time. You might think a circuit around an exhibition centre could be boring. But I don’t think it will be boring. It’ll be a real challenge and it’ll be very exciting to see how it goes.”

Flexibility is key!

Krack points out that, as this is the new circuit’s debut, some fine-tuning may still be needed over the course of the weekend: “We need to be flexible; perhaps a few things will still need adjusting. Everyone’s looking forward to it. But everyone’s also keeping a close eye on their spare parts.” The course is so narrow and demanding that there are likely to be a few crashes.

The driver can make the difference in Madrid

A demanding circuit – can an experienced driver like two-time world champion Alonso make the difference here? Krack: “If you look at the track layout with the walls so close by, the driver can make the difference here. Not everywhere, but in certain places. I like tracks like this that favour the driver. I’m confident our drivers will perform well here.”

However, Krack is also tempering the expectations of the Spanish press – who are, of course, numerous and enthusiastic on the ground: “We haven’t driven a single lap yet, so we’re taking it step by step. When grip is poor, conditions are difficult and things are new, we’ve seen some outstanding performances.”

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Alonso shines when the going gets tough. Krack recalls: “Just think back to Qatar a few years ago, when there was a sandstorm and the track was very slow. At times, he was four or five seconds faster than the others. We might see something like that in FP1. But then there’s also FP2 and FP3, where the others can catch up.” He adds with a laugh: “So if we do qualifying first thing in the morning, we’ll be fine.” SPEEDWEEK.com was already out on the track on Thursday morning. The tarmac is indeed quite slippery, and the circuit is a real challenge. But Krack also says: “We shouldn’t forget that we’ve only made it out of Q1 once. So talking about Q3 now would be arrogant.”