Fernando Alonso has said that he cannot predict the outcome of this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix because the ever-present possibility of rain makes the race a lottery.
Writing on Ferrari’s website, the Spaniard stated that the weather at Sepang forces teams to plan many contingency strategies.
“The fact that the weather can change so quickly here makes the preparation work for the various phases of work on track more stressful,” he said.
“Suddenly it can go from sunshine to a short sharp shower and you need to be prepared for every eventuality. It’s not just a problem for us drivers, as its affects the whole team: in some cases you need to be ready with a plan B or C, or even maybe a D for all the various scenarios.”
Alonso went on to say that Ferrari have not made radical changes to their car despite it apparently being the inferior of both the Red Bull and the McLaren in Australia.
“We know we have to improve our performance level, but we are equally aware that in the end, the race result was not such a disaster,” Alonso said, referring to Melbourne.
“We will have a few minor updates on the car, but nothing very significant, or the sort of thing you could say would be the key to take a leap forward in performance terms.
“I believe we must stay concentrated [sic] on our own work and try to understand how to get all the potential out of the 150° Italia and I’m sure there’s plenty to come.
“Before we achieve that, it’s pointless standing here making predictions about how the weekend will turn out. We just have to tackle it one day at a time.”
