• Australian Grand Prix

Pirelli tyres will usher in a new 'style' of races - Alonso

Fernando Alonso said the teams will have to react quickly to understand race strategy this year © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Australian Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso

• Teams:
• Ferrari

Fernando Alonso believes teams will have to approach racing in a completely different manner this year on the new Pirelli tyres.

In testing the drivers reported high levels of degradation, meaning they will be forced to make multiple pit stops during the race rather than the predictable single stop seen in 2010. Alonso said it would be crucial to monitor the tyres over the course of the weekend in order to pick the right strategy on Sunday, which could be the difference between winning and losing.

"For sure there is a new way of doing the races in terms of strategy, so let's say that a new Formula One is starting here in Melbourne in terms of the strategy point of view," he said. "We need to learn from here and keep all the new things for the coming races, but this is like a new one and we need to be very focused, very concentrated on the strategy because I think it can play a big part of the race result. On the other hand, maybe qualifying on Saturday has a little bit less value compared to last year, because on Sunday there will be more things to come, more factors on the track."

Pirelli is expecting the hard tyre to last roughly 25 laps, while the soft is more likely to be limited to 15 laps. Alonso said it would be impossible to know for sure until the cars hit the track on Friday and Saturday.

"I think the number of laps is impossible to predict right now but I don't think there is a big problem because it's the same tyres for everybody, so after qualifying or after tomorrow's practice we will try to understand a little bit better how the strategy can work on Sunday but I don't have any particular worries on that," he added.

"The feeling with the tyres is OK, obviously. It's a new tyre, as I said before, compared to last year, a new way of approaching the weekend, a new way of approaching the strategies etc but it's something that we've been practising all winter and we will have more experience after race one now and it will be OK, and hopefully more fun for the spectators."

In contrast, the Ferrari driver is not expecting any major problems with the plethora of buttons on the steering wheel now that KERS and moveable rear wings have been fitted to the cars.

"I think everyone will have a different opinion," he said. "In my case, I don't think there is any particular problem with the new rules so all the things we need to do on the steering wheel, they are part of our job.

"We are professional drivers and we need to understand between us and our team, to make the most comfortable way of using all the new things. If you have no time to do all the things on the steering wheel, you don't do it, it's not a mandatory thing to do.

"It will take time and I think that for us, we did a lot of mileage in the winter. I think I can say that for Felipe and me we can get used to the new things and it comes automatically the things that we need to do on the steering wheel, corner after corner, and I don't see any particular problem or anything to discuss in the near future."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.