On Thursday, Fernando Alonso took part in an FIA press conference, where he joked about Lewis Hamilton’s high salary at Mercedes.
It all started with a simple question: how much better is the new Aston Martin AMR24 than last year’s? Fernando replied: “It’s hard to say because we’re doing tests and we have no idea what everyone else is doing.
Our testing program is constantly changing depending on how much time we have available. I don’t understand how you can prepare for the season in a day and a half, which every driver has at his disposal according to the current regulations.
It is the same as changing rackets or balls in football or tennis before a new tournament or season and giving the players a day to prepare for the Grand Slam tournament.
We play a more complex sport where each team operates on a budget of $200 million per year. Therefore, such restrictions on testing seem ridiculous.”
At that moment, George Russell, who was sitting next to him, spoke up and recalled that according to the rules, the team budget is not $200 million, but $135 million per year. Fernando replied with a smile: “Yes, but your team has an expensive driver. Thanks to your partner, Mercedes’ budget is over $200 million.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
