Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez not only moved their Formula 1 bolides on the Australian weekend, but also tried out a V8 supercar each
The comeback of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne after two years off due to corona was a complete success. As usual, the Formula 1 cars were not the only ones doing laps at Albert Park. In the supporting programme, the spectacular Ford Mustang and Holden Commodore of the Australian Supercars Series traditionally also raced.
And: Two Formula 1 drivers did not miss the opportunity to try out one of these supercars in person on Thursday. Fernando Alonso drove the Castrol-sponsored Ford Mustang GT from Tickford Racing, which is normally driven by Thomas Randle.
Sergio Perez drove the Red Bull-sponsored Holden Commodore ZB from Triple Eight Race Engineering, piloted by Supercars rookie Broc Feeney. The 19-year-old Feeney is the successor to Jamie Whincup, who retired in the winter. The seven-time Supercars champion, in turn, now joins Triple Eight as team co-owner and follows the action from the other side of the pit wall.
So Whincup was also an observer of the prominent “test drivers” from Formula 1. The Supercars laps did not run entirely without obstacles – or rather surprises – for Alonso and Perez. Remarkably, while Perez drove Feeney’s replacement car, Alonso actually drove Randle’s entry car, with which he competed in a total of four Supercars races later in the weekend.
When Alonso drove Randle’s Mustang on Thursday, the Tickford regular sat in the passenger seat (left in the right-hand drive car) to give tips. The two were supposed to communicate via radio, but that didn’t work out as planned. For this reason, Randle had to use hand signals to show Alonso which gear was the right one for which corner.
“The radio didn’t work very well. I could hardly hear him and I don’t think he could hear me either,” Randle tells the latest episode of the ‘Castrol Motorsport News Podcast’ and says: “It was easier to show him by hand whether it was third, fourth or second gear.”
“He understood immediately what I meant. There were a couple of situations where I indicated to him to shift down another gear. He confirmed directly with the thumbs up,” praises Randle.
But what surprised Alonso was not so much sitting as a driver on the right-hand side, but rather in what a low gear the supercars go through the fast left-right chicane, which is at the back opposite the pits (turns 11/12).
“For us, it’s third gear there, whereas they’re in seventh gear there,” Randle notes, grinning in memory of Alonso’s reaction, “I don’t think he would have expected us to be in third gear there. “
And in terms of braking too, the Supercars laps were an adjustment for both Alonso and Perez. The V8 bombers tolerate it better when braking with the right foot, because there is a classic foot clutch for the sequential but manually shifted gearbox. As it turned out later, both Formula 1 drivers hesitated with their right foot and instinctively wanted to brake with their left.
And in Perez’s case, the engine had to take a beating too. During some of the acceleration phases, the rev counter of the V8 engine in Triple Eight’s Commodore went up to 8,800 revs. However, apart from a harmless slip by Alonso at turn 1 of the track, the Supercars laps of the two Formula One routiniers passed without incident.
