Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, frustrated by his Q1 exit at Imola, shifts focus to Monaco, considering his weekend effectively over.
Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso was frustrated by his painful exit in Q1 during qualifying at Imola.
Alonso lost control of his car through the Rivazza complex during Free Practice 3, forcing his mechanics to work “relentlessly” to make repairs – including a gearbox change – in time for the crucial grid session.
However, as the Spaniard hit the track, his efforts were compromised by another incident at Variante Tamburello, resulting in a trip through the gravel.
He ultimately finished 19th in the session, the slowest, while Williams driver Logan Sargeant lost his laps due to track limit violations.
Asked after qualifying about the difficulty of driving his Aston Martin this weekend, Alonso replied, “It’s tough. Obviously, I was missing laps today and we put fuel in the car for qualifying so I could run a bit more.”
“Ultimately, I did my best lap on the first lap with a lot of fuel in the car, so I think there’s more pace, but yes, it’s been one of those days… a bad day.”
Regarding what lies ahead in the race, Alonso is realistic.
“It’s going to be extremely difficult. I think the weekend is heavily compromised, if not practically over.”
“But as I said, it’s one of those weekends, one of those days when everything goes wrong, and I hope we have a better weekend in Monaco.”
Alonso’s teammate, Lance Stroll, managed to qualify for the second phase of qualifying but failed to bring an Aston Martin into Q3, with the Canadian having to settle for 13th on the grid.
“It’s a challenge, it’s difficult to find the right settings here for everyone. It’s not so bad, but it’s not competitive enough. 13th is not great, Fernando had issues. It won’t be ideal heading into the race tomorrow, but we’ll do our best.”
Alonso Eyes Monaco After Imola Q1 Disappointment. Alonso Eyes Monaco After Imola Q1 Disappointment
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