Spaniard says it all depends on how long soft tyres hold up
Sunday 27 October 2013 09:53, UK
Fernando Alonso has rated the chances of his reverse tyre strategy succeeding in the Indian GP as "50/50" after he sacrificed grid position in order to start on the medium rubber on Sunday.
Describing the soft compound as a "random" tyre, Alonso said anything could happen in the race. "On Friday I did 15 or 16 laps with the soft tyres, not in a very good pace, but I did some laps - and this morning I did three!" he said. "I think set-to-set it depends. It's a random tyre and you need to be lucky with the set tomorrow." He also pointed to June's German GP as an example of how pre-race expectations over tyre life can suddenly turn on their head. "Also in Germany I remember the soft tyres were not working very well and we chose to start on the prime tyre," Alonso said of a race in which he started eighth and finished fourth. "Then on Sunday the soft tyre lasted very long and we didn't take advantage of the prime. So we need to see tomorrow how they perform. If we start with the same strategy as the others sometimes we don't make any places because we are not as quick as the others, but we will see tomorrow. This is only qualifying."
