Fernando Alonso suggested there are more “amateur” drivers in Formula 1 than in the WEC after his first lap crash at the United States Grand Prix.
The Spaniard was involved in a tangle with Lance Stroll through the Esses on the opening lap with the Williams hitting the side of the McLaren causing irreparable damage.
Though a drive-through penalty was given to the Canadian, it was of little comfort to Alonso as he rued a short-lived final F1 race in America.
“I’m not upset – I’m disappointed because I’m here nine days in the US to do a race and I do 600 meters of the race and they push you off,” he said.
“That’s the way it is, but it’s more a problem for the FIA if they keep allowing this type of driving, maybe when there’s a big crash they will do something.
“Until then we’ll try to have fun in other categories where we race against 34 cars, against amateur people, against 60-year-old men and nothing ever happens.
“Here we need bumpers, like rental go-karts, so we can all crash into each other.”
Drawing the comparison to WEC, Alonso claimed the level of driving was “lower” in F1.
“I drive in another series with amateur drivers, theoretically, and there has never been a problem. There are more amateurs here than in other series,” the double world champion stated.
“I race in the WEC and they are very aggressive as well and we have three different categories there – some amateur drivers in the GT-Am, but no one crashes into each other. There’s another mentality.
“Sometimes you make a mistake or you try to take a risk at the start, or you can overshoot your braking point or make a mistake.
“But [in F1] it’s like Spa, where you start and suddenly they are playing bowling with you. Here again, you start and they play bowling with you and you have the bad luck of having to retire.”