F1 News: 'Too-Hard' Pirelli tires made passing at Suzuka difficult

(GMM) Fernando Alonso has defended the Suzuka circuit, amid widespread complaints about the largely action-free Japanese GP.

While the sport marvelled at Max Verstappen’s performance, no one was denying that the makers of the highlight reel struggled to compile the most exciting moments.

“That’s all that happened?” Oscar Piastri said in the ‘cool down’ room when watching the immediate highlights.

Some think the main issue was the new asphalt surface – which although producing record-breaking lap times also meant there was minimal tire degradation.

“Long, boring,” Nico Hulkenberg said when asked to sum up his day in Japan. “It’s not particularly entertaining to look at the rear wing and DRS of the car in front.

“It’s just so difficult with these cars. The effect of the turbulent air gets a little worse every year.”

Former Sauber team manager Beat Zehnder wasn’t solely blaming the asphalt.

“We also had the hardest tire compounds available here,” he is quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport.

“I can imagine Pirelli will perhaps bring the softer compounds to Japan next year. And when you then see how close the field is, overtaking becomes almost impossible.”

Mercedes strategists reportedly calculated that a 1.2 second pace difference was required for a successful overtake.

“It was very fast, but it was as difficult to overtake as Monaco is,” said Williams’ Carlos Sainz. “It’s like the new Monaco but with fast corners.”

F1 veteran Alonso, however, has heard it all before.

“This is Suzuka,” he said. “I can’t remember a race where there were too many overtaking maneuvers here without the weather changing.

“It seems as if we always say on Thursday how great Suzuka is, how great Monaco is, the glamour, the spectacular weekend. And then we wake up on Monday and say Monaco is boring. What can we do about the track. Suzuka is boring.

“That’s Formula 1,” the two-time champion added.