Fernando Alonso Frustrated as Aston Martin Struggles in F1 Qualifying

Fernando Alonso, the renowned Spanish Formula One driver, has expressed his growing frustration with the media amidst his team’s recent struggles on the track. At a recent qualifying round, Alonso was knocked out in Q1 after only managing to set his fastest lap in 17th place. His teammate, Lance Stroll, also had a challenging session, qualifying 20th due to an energy recovery system failure that restricted his performance.

«The most frustrating part for me is the media, nothing against you,» Alonso told reporters, including Motorsport Week. «It’s just that during the weekend, we try to explain to the fans and to you why we are here, and it’s not that we were on the podium in the last race and now we’re out of Q1.» Aston Martin, Alonso’s team, has failed to score points in the last three races, prompting the team to revert to an older car specification in Brazil in an attempt to address their difficulties.

Despite the setbacks, Alonso remains optimistic about the future but acknowledges that improvement will take time. «We need to be patient now and accept that it will take a little bit of time,» he commented. Aston Martin rebranded in 2021 and has previously shown promise, scoring 280 points and achieving eight podiums last year, but this season has only managed 86 points, with a fifth-place standing in the constructor’s championship.

Stroll’s qualifying woes were compounded by an ERS failure during FP3, limiting his session to a single timed lap. «It’s a great effort from the team to get the car ready, but yeah, not much of a session for us,» Stroll remarked.

As the season progresses, the Las Vegas Grand Prix marks a period where Aston Martin has encountered considerable challenges. Alonso noted, «We’ve been struggling the last four or five months with the performance of the car,» implying a need to look forward to future seasons for potential redemption. Aston Martin will likely focus on strategic creativity to maximize opportunities in the upcoming races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Alonso speculated on potential improvements, adding, «To get some points, you need a bit of luck from the cars in front of you. So, we remain positive but, as I said, in the next three races, it will be painful.» The team’s focus has shifted towards next year amid personnel changes, including the recent departure of their technical director, Dan Fallows.