Alonso disagrees with Russell over Pirelli

Fernando Alonso has countered on-track rival George Russell’s criticism of the current tyres in Formula 1.

Last month, Mercedes driver Russell slammed the inconsistency of the products supplied by F1’s sole tyre supplier Pirelli, claiming even the Italian company "doesn’t understand them".

But F1 veteran Alonso points out that while some teams are struggling on the Pirellis, others - like McLaren at present - are clearly thriving.

"We believe that all the tyres are the same," said the Aston Martin driver.

"I think it depends more on the car," he is quoted by motorsport-magazin.com. "Some cars are historically quite fast on the harder tyre compounds, and vice versa.

"When we go into the details, we look at the countless sensors and then notice small differences when the car is slow," the Spaniard revealed. "We then try to make changes so that the car is happy again."

Alonso also thinks the conspicuous lack of safety car interruptions recently is due to the current generation of ground-effect cars.

"These cars are not easy to drive," Alonso, a two-time champion, said. "The problems arise when you try to get the most out of the car.

"If you only drive at 90 percent, you are less likely to push the limits and the risk of accidents is smaller."

He does admit that teams and drivers are often scratching their heads about tyre performance after qualifying sessions. "Baku was a very good example," he said.

"In Q1 I was fifteenth, and seven minutes later I was fifth fastest in Q2 on the same compound of tyres. Other drivers did the opposite - very fast in Q1 and very slow in Q2. Sometimes there is just no explanation for that.

"That’s why we take fewer risks in the races," he explained. "We all drive at 90 percent and we pay attention to the tyres and fuel consumption. That’s why we don’t have many problems and we rarely see safety cars. The cars just respond better when you drive at that speed.

"It’s a bit against the instincts of the driver," Alonso added, "but with these cars you just have to deal with that."