Alonso: New asphalt and tires worsen visibility in the rain.

      In recent years, Formula 1 races have been held less frequently in the rain. A recent example is the July Belgian Grand Prix, when the start was delayed by 80 minutes until the track was almost completely dry. The main issue with modern wet and intermediate tires in Formula 1 is that they produce too many spray and reduce visibility on the track almost to zero. Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso pointed out another reason why races cannot be held in the rain as in previous years. Fernando Alonso: "Since 2017, when we switched to wider tires, visibility in the rain has worsened. This is actually a complex issue. We all want to race, and when there is only one car on the track, there are no problems. But as soon as you are in a group of other cars, you see nothing. Unfortunately, we have already had too many bad examples, especially at Spa, when poor visibility led to serious incidents. We all want to race, and fans do too. But then, when a serious accident happens, we all remember that there’s nothing stopping us from waiting an extra half hour. Unfortunately, that’s how the current situation is. Wider tires have worsened visibility, but it’s not only because of them; the asphalt on some tracks also plays a role. Remember how much water sometimes accumulated at Spa when we raced there, yet no problems arose. Now, tracks are covered with a new generation asphalt, which is very black and provides high grip in dry conditions. However, in the rain, it resembles a mirror – which further reduces visibility. I don’t know if we can do something about the tires and this asphalt. I've often said that some normal highways are paved with asphalt that doesn’t produce spray. If we laid such type of asphalt on all tracks, the visibility would be fine. Maybe, on such asphalt, there would be high wear in dry weather. I don’t know, I’m just a driver, but perhaps we can take this as a starting point for further work."