The comeback of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne after two years of a corona-related break was a complete success. As usual, the Formula 1 cars weren’t the only cars making their rounds in Albert Park.
Traditionally, the spectacular Ford Mustang and Holden Commodore from the Australian Supercars series also drove as part of the supporting programme.
And: Two Formula 1 drivers took the opportunity to try out such a supercar personally on Thursday.
Fernando Alonso drove Tickford Racing’s Castrol-sponsored Ford Mustang GT, which is normally piloted by Thomas Randle.
Sergio Pérez drove Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Red Bull-sponsored Holden Commodore ZB, piloted by Supercars rookie Broc Feeney.
Feeney, 19, is the successor to Jamie Whincup, who retired in the winter. The seven-time Supercars Champion now joins Triple Eight as a team co-owner and follows the action from the other side of the pit wall.
“The radio didn’t work very well”
Whincup was also an observer of the prominent “test drivers” from Formula 1. The Supercars laps did not run without any obstacles – or rather surprises – for Alonso and Pérez.
Remarkable: While Pérez moved Feeney’s reserve car, Alonso actually drove Randle’s car, with which Randle contested the four Supercars races over the course of the weekend.
As Alonso drove Randle’s Mustang on Thursday, the regular Tickford driver sat in the passenger seat (on the left in the right-hand drive car) to offer tips. The two actually wanted to communicate via radio, but that didn’t work out as planned. For this reason, Randle had to start using hand signals to show Alonso which gear was the right one in which corner.
“The radio didn’t work very well. I could barely hear him and I don’t think he could hear me either,” Randle told the latest episode of the Castrol Motorsport News Podcast, adding, “It was easier to hand him to show whether it’s third, fourth or second gear.”
“He immediately understood what I meant. There were a few situations in which I indicated to him to shift down a gear. He immediately confirmed it with a thumbs-up,” says Randle.
Fernando Alonso’s harmless slip
What surprised Alonso, however, was not so much the fact that the driver was sitting on the right-hand side, but rather the low gear in which the supercars drove through the fast left-right chicane (Turn 11/12) behind the pits.
“For us, third gear is the order of the day, whereas they drive there in seventh gear,” notes Randle and grins at Alonso’s reaction: “I don’t think he would have expected us to drive in third gear there.”
And also in terms of braking, the Supercars laps were a change for both Alonso and Pérez. The V8 bombers tolerate it better if you brake with your right foot, because there is a classic foot clutch for the sequential but manually shifted transmission. As it turned out later, both Formula 1 drivers hesitated with their right foot and instinctively wanted to brake with their left.
And in the case of Pérez, the engine also had to put up with a lot. During some of the acceleration phases, the rev counter of the V8 engine in the Triple Eight Commodore went up to 8,800 rpm. Apart from a harmless slip by Alonso in turn 1 of the track, the Supercars laps of the two Formula 1 veterans passed without incident.