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Why Aston Martin, Alpine and McLaren may miss Silverstone free practice

30 June 2021 at 12:44
Last update 30 June 2021 at 14:30
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  • GPblog.com

There will be experiments with sprint racing this year. The first test will take place during the Grand Prix weekend at the Silverstone circuit, but the final details still need to be ironed out. There are three teams in Formula 1 that foresee problems with their clutches.

Aston Martin, Alpine and McLaren might have to skip a practice session because of clutch problems. In Great Britain one of the three free practice sessions will be replaced by a mini-Grand Prix over 100 kilometres. In a normal free practice between 120 and 170 kilometers are covered, according to Auto, Motor und Sport. Nevertheless these three teams are dissatisfied and have reported it to the FIA .

Parc ferme the culprit

The parc fermé has been brought forward by a day and that's a pity. While parts like brakes, spark plugs and damaged parts can still be touched, the same cannot be said for the clutch. Normally they replace or service clutches after FP2, but that is not possible with the new schedule.

The Aston Martin team manager told the aforementioned German newspaper that he was dissatisfied with the procedure: "These clutches were built for a different purpose. They need new shims and a service after 300 kilometers. If we had known what to expect before the season we would have built different clutches. If we have to drive a clutch all weekend without changing it, we can't guarantee it will last."

FIA not keen on exceptions

Andy Stevenson wants the FIA ​​to make an exception, but despite multiple requests, the FIA ​​has yet to respond with a definitive answer. It has been reported that the FIA ​​has casually suggested that teams should do fewer test starts, but Alan Permane of Alpine doesn't agree with this explanation. "It has nothing to do with the number of starts. It's just wear and tear. The clutch is in use all the time. The shifting is the problem, not the starts." All the teams use different clutches and Mercedes', for example, can handle not 300 but 700 kilometres.