Fernando Alonso has now sent Aston Martin a stern warning at the Spanish Grand Prix and urges the team to ‘not give up’ after enduring a frustrating Saturday in Barcelona.
The home favourite will only start the Spanish GP from P10 after gaining one place thanks to Sergio Perez serving a three-place grid penalty. Alonso failed to reach Q3 for the fourth time in 10 races after bowing out in P11. He missed out on the top 10 shootout by 0.019 seconds.
Lance Stroll will also start from just P14 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after lapping it 0.244s slower than Alonso in Q2. The 25-year-old’s fastest Q1 lap time was also 0.376s off his 42-year-old teammate’s pace, as Alonso finished the opening stage in P9 to Stroll in P15.
Fernando Alonso fumes it is ‘not good’ for Alpine to out-qualify Aston Martin
Aston Martin almost saw Stroll bow out in Q1 for the second time this term, like Alonso has, as well. But what hammered home his frustrating Saturday for the Oviedo native was seeing both Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, reach Q3 for the first and second times.
Gasly set a 1:11.857 in Q3 to claim P7 and will see Ocon adopt P8 from Perez after posting a 1:12.125. The French duo also set 1:12.079 and 1:12.109 laps in Q2 to reach the final round of qualifying for the Spanish GP. Ocon even denied Alonso a Q3 spot after ending Q2 in P10.
READ MORE: Five unforgettable Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona including Senna vs Mansell
Alonso admits that Aston Martin expected Alpine would be fast at the Spanish GP. But while the Enstone team have improved, the two-time winner in Barcelona feels his team have ‘got worse’. Alonso also fears Aston Martin’s pain will continue at the Austrian GP and British GP.
“We already knew,” Alonso bemoaned, via quotes by AS. “They were ahead in Monaco and very close in Canada. Here they are ahead, too. They improve and we get worse.
“The combination of the two factors is not good. As I have said many times, we have things prepared that should bring us closer to the right direction. It will be painful here, in Austria and in Silverstone. We have to try to score points and not give up in these hard times.”
Alpine have overtaken Aston Martin despite starting 2024 with F1’s slowest car
Alpine did not see either of their pilots reach Q3 in qualifying for any of the first seven races. Yet Gasly made Q3 at the Monaco GP and now also the Spanish GP, alongside Ocon. Aston Martin had at least one car in Q3 at each of the first five races, including both drivers at two.
Alonso even qualified third on the grid for the Chinese GP for Aston Martin’s best result this season. While Alpine locked out the back row of the grid for the season-opening Bahrain GP. The Renault-owned team also had the slowest car during qualifying at the Saudi Arabian GP.
So, Alonso has reason to say it is ‘not good’ for Aston Martin that Alpine now have the faster car over a single-lap. Ocon and Gasly delivering for Alpine at the Spanish GP may even prove bad news for the Austrian GP and the British GP with the circuit a very representative track.
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