Alonso: Montreal FP1 glitch 'embarrassing' for F1

Fernando Alonso says Friday's CCTV glitch that led to the early stoppage of the opening practice session is "embarrassing" for Formula 1 which had no contingency plan in place to mitigate the issue.

Just minutes into FP1, the session was red flagged after Pierre Gasly's Alpine had stopped on the side of the track. But the track action did not resume after the prompt evacuation of the Frenchman's car.

A CCTV camera synchronization issue led to race control not having a full view of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which extended the red flag period for security reasons.

©AstonMartin

Unfortunately, the technical glitch was only resolved well after the timed conclusion of the session, when a backup solution was implemented, which deprived teams of crucial running and left the fans in the grandstands with just three minutes of track action to enjoy.

Although the CCTV issue was under the local organiser's responsibility, Alonso felt that it hadn't been Formula 1's finest moment.

"The fans came very early to the circuit, and we were not able to run in FP1," Alonso said. "From time to time we are shooting in our feet as a sport, these things are a little bit embarrassing.

"We didn't have time because in FP1 the cameras of the circuit didn't work, and we didn't have a Plan B in this sport."

• Read also: Hamilton and Russell top extended Canada FP2 before rain

Despite F1 extending Friday's second practice by 30 minutes, Alonso – who set the fourth fastest time in FP2 – said Aston Martin didn't have enough time to fully gauge the impact of the upgrades introduced on its car in Canada.

"We didn’t have a lot of time to fully understand the new upgrades on the car, so we will have to analyse everything overnight and learn more tomorrow," he said.

"We will keep an eye on the weather radar again for tomorrow, as it could be another mixed day."

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