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Testing ban makes F1 stale - Alonso

The testing ban and engine freeze has slowed car development © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso

• Teams:
• Ferrari

Fernando Alonso is concerned F1 is becoming stale due to a lack of freedom in the technical regulations.

Tight rules dictating the shape of the cars, an engine freeze and a ban on in-season testing mean the teams' development between races is restricted. Ferrari, which owns a private test track and has huge resources, has struggled more than most with austerity in F1 and the team admitted to making mistakes by continuing development of the F-duct at the expense of overall downforce earlier this year.

"The goal is always to win but it's not so easy," Alonso said. "You cannot invent new things without testing. There is little room for creativity; our technicians have their hands tied,"

"The test ban is not the perfect thing when you are behind, when you have to close the gap to the top teams. But I think it hurts a bit more for Ferrari because we have superb facilities in Maranello. We have everything here, we have the Fiorano circuit and when we look out the window it is normally empty because we cannot test the Formula One car. It's sad to see that but that's the way it is, the teams agreed to do that.

"We need to be better than the others in some other aspects; we have to be better than the others with simulations, etcetera. I think we have all the tools and all the facilities to be the best."

He said that he is already confident that Ferrari have closed the gap to Red Bull but said it would be more apparent at tracks that suit the Ferrari F10.

"I think Red Bull has been strong all season and we have to remember Silverstone is a special track with very special corners and in 2009 Red Bull also dominated at Silverstone," he said. "I think we made some very good improvements to the car and I think we are very close to Red Bull now in terms of performance. Hopefully we will see that at more normal circuits like Germany and Hungary and we will be fighting for pole position.

"The advantage they had at Silverstone was in entry, middle and exit of the corner, a little bit of everything but, as I said, Silverstone is a very special track for Red Bull and hopefully the next ones will be different for us."

I'm noit thinking too much about 2011, we are fully concentrated ion 2010. I think Kers is a good thing to have because it is a new and green technology that sooner or later has to arrive in Formula One;. I think in 2009 it was not the In 2011 if we manage to have all the teams with KERS we will enjoy the situation. he added.

Alonso is expecting a closely-bunched field at Hockenheim in just over a week.

"We want to be fighting for pole position in Germany and Hungary," he said, referring to the back-to-back rounds before the August break.

"The German track has quite simple corners so I am expecting a grand prix with very close times."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.