Fernando Alonso Reveals the Brutal Failure That Killed His Monza Q1
· Yahoo Sports
Aston Martin’s grueling weekend at the “Temple of Speed” culminated in a catastrophic technical failure on Saturday, forcing Fernando Alonso to prematurely abandon his final qualifying run before he even made it out of the garage.
Visit newsbetsport.bond for more information.
In a session heavily dictated by slipstreams and raw engine power, Alonso found himself stranded in the pit lane, ultimately qualifying near the very back of the grid with a compromised lap time of 1:25.150. Speaking to the media after the session, the two-time world champion revealed exactly why he vanished from the timing screens when it mattered most.
When asked what happened at the end of his session, Alonso did not mince words about the mechanical failure that abruptly ended his afternoon.
“Yeah, the engine didn’t start, so yeah, problem with the power unit,” Alonso confirmed. “I don’t know if it’s the ICE, power of the battery, or whatever it is, but yeah, didn’t start”.
Because the Aston Martin mechanics could not fire up the power unit in time, Alonso was completely robbed of his final attempt to escape the drop zone. Worse, his only recorded lap was severely compromised by traffic and tire temperature issues.
“We only did one set of tires, and the time we set was done with a scrubbed set, you know, after waiting in the pit lane for a long time, cold tires, etc.,” Alonso explained, noting that the disastrous sequence of events left untapped pace on the table. “So I think, yeah, there was something more to come on the last attempt”.
Alonso: “We Are Not Blind”
The mechanical failure was the final nail in the coffin for a weekend that Aston Martin already expected to be brutal. Monza’s long straights viciously expose aerodynamic drag and engine deficits, putting the current Aston Martin package at a severe disadvantage.
When a journalist asked if the miserable qualifying result was in line with his downbeat Thursday expectations, Alonso admitted the writing was already on the wall.
“Yeah, I think so,” Alonso replied. “I think we knew that this track was, as I said, with Vegas is going to be the worst for us and the most challenging”.
Rather than hiding behind PR speak, Alonso directly called out the car’s glaring lack of straight-line speed. “We lose a lot, you know, there’s a big deficit on the straights,” he stated bluntly. “You know, the data is there for everyone. You know, we are not blind”.
Despite the open frustration of relying on a package that simply cannot compete on power-hungry circuits, Alonso maintained that the team is aware of the exact issues they need to fix. “We see the same data as you guys, and you know, we know that we need to work on the power,” Alonso added. “But, you know, we are trying to support each other, and I think there are clear targets for next year”.