- British GP - Qualifying
Communication at Ferrari needs improving - Alonso
Fernando Alonso says longer decision-making "procedures" from Ferrari compared to other teams meant it did not react fast enough to the changing weather as both he and Kimi Raikkonen were eliminated from Q1 at Silverstone.
Q1 had started on intermediate tyres but in the final five minutes the track had dried enough for runs on slick tyres - with most teams reacting immediately when the two Marussias went to the top end of the timing screens. However Ferrari delayed on sending its drivers out, before Alonso spun by the time he eventually did get on track at Brooklands, meaning he ended the session 19th after promising pace in practice.
When asked whether bigger teams on the grid react slower, Alonso said: "50/50 you are right. Bigger teams have longer procedures than smaller teams so we need to speed up some of the communications and some of the things we do. Secondly I think the small teams are position 22, 23 every single qualifying so when there are mixed conditions they put on the dry tyres. If they fuck up, they will be 23rd, if they are right they will be P4 so that's a lot easier than the top teams.
"I definitely agree that there were some cars on dry tyres a couple of minutes before us doing green sectors and we were in the garage, so that's something we need to improve for next time."
Despite his position on the grid Alonso says a strong result is still possible, though he would prefer a repeat of Saturday's changeable conditions on raceday.
"I think mixed conditions will help. If it's a multiple pit-stop race with many changes, dry, wet, dry, wet, dry, wet, that will help because in one lap you can gain 30 seconds in one lap if you are on the right tyres in that moment ... When you start 19th there is nothing to lose so we will see what kind of race we have.
"I think the car performed ok in dry conditions yesterday, I think it could also be ok in the wet. The first lap we did in wet conditions we were P5 so there is definitely room to improve because we start at the back of the grid. Anything that happens tomorrow is only positive news."
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