Alonso prepared for F1 sprint 'mix-up'

Fernando Alonso has insisted it is good for F1 to "mix it up" with the sprint format as it makes its first appearance of the season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Qualifying will take place on Friday at Imola with a 100km sprint on Saturday setting the grid for Sunday's grand prix.

Alpine arrive in Italy off the back of promising performances that have been ended by mechanical failures and strategy misfortune in Saudi Arabia and Australia, with Alonso leaving both races scoreless.

"I think performance-wise we seem fairly consistent at three different circuits so far, which is a positive sign," said Alonso.

"We know it’s going to be a big development battle this year. There are twenty races to go, so there is plenty of time to recover some points in the standings."

Two-time champion Alonso was one of the most exciting drivers in the three sprint events last season, with his alternative tyre choice at Silverstone particularly eye-catching.

"On sprint qualifying, I think it’s good to mix it up and we saw last year that in some races the format worked well," added the Spaniard.

"If I look back then Silverstone was particularly enjoyable for me. Formula 1 has made some changes to the format for this season, we’ll see if these have paid off.

"It’s a tough but not impossible track to overtake on, so I hope we see some action from the field on Saturday and Sunday.

"There are a lot of points now available on three Saturdays this year. I’m hopeful we can come away with some points this weekend."

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