Fernando Alonso has criticized Formula 1's Q2 tyre rules, insisting they "just benefit the big teams" and don't improve the show.
Currently, drivers who reach Q3 must start their race on the tyre they used to set their fastest lap in Q2, a rule originally introduced to benefit those who had not been able to gain access to the top-ten shootout.
But Alonso contends that because the top teams can make the Q3 cut without using their softest compounds, they are offered a strategic advantage over those positioned in the lower half of the top-ten who are often forced to launch their race shod with the soft compound.
The Spaniard believes the unfair advantage could play a role in this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix as Pirelli will supply a softer selection of tyres all-round for F1's second round of racing at the Red Bull Ring.
"It’s going to be a challenge to do one stop," feared Alonso. "If you start with a C5, maybe it’s more difficult.
"The fast cars have the luxury to avoid that tyre and in the midfield we don’t have that luxury.
"That’s the bad thing about the rules. They try to invent one rule that could benefit the show, and they just benefit the big teams."
Alonso enjoyed his fifth points-scoring finish in Austria last Sunday when he crossed the checkered flag P8.
The 39-year-old is looking forward to getting back into the groove at the same venue but is potentially bracing for a different set of challenges with softer tyres and perhaps adverse weather.
"It’s the third race of our first triple header this season so I made sure to take some time to recharge the batteries ahead of this weekend," he said.
"It’s my first time experiencing back to back races at the same venue in Formula 1. But I am looking forward to getting back to the track for another race here and to keep the momentum going.
"The weather is very unpredictable, where one minute it’s clear blue skies with high temperatures, and the next it’s pouring down with rain and possible thunderstorms.
"We enjoy these challenges as drivers and I think this makes racing here twice in a row quite interesting as you try to adjust and perfect your weekend."
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