Fernando Alonso has described his mission to salvage a strong home result as "nearly impossible" after a troubled opening day at the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit in Madrid. The two-time world champion endured a compromised FP2 due to a clutch issue on his Aston Martin, completing just 16 laps compared to his rivals' mid-20s. He ended the session 17th quickest, though a Q2 spot remains within reach.
The clutch problem struck right after Alonso's practice starts at the end of FP1. He admitted that the lack of early running in FP2 left him "out of sync" and "a little bit behind the programme". With the 22-corner Madring posing a tough challenge, Alonso is pessimistic about overtaking. "For us, nearly impossible with the deficit on the straight, so qualifying will be important," he said.
Nevertheless, Alonso remains wary of potential safety cars or red flags given the close walls. "We need to stay focused. We need to see the chequered flag, do our own race. Whatever is the result in qualifying, I think there's still hope for Sunday, if we do a perfect execution of the race," he added.
Interestingly, despite predictions of numerous incidents at the new track, only one red flag occurred across the two hours of practice. That was triggered 35 minutes into FP2 when Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad lost the rear of his car at the fast Turn 13 left-hander. Alonso also encountered traffic, but acknowledged it was the team's mistake to be out of sync.
"Tomorrow in quali should be better," Alonso said. "But it's going to be tricky to get it right, with tyre temperature and battery state of charge at the end of the lap. Sometimes, if you do a different driving style in the last few corners, it seems that we are very sensitive to that with the Honda power unit. There are a couple of things that we are discovering, and we need to fix for sure."
With performance still suboptimal, Alonso and Aston Martin must work hard to maximise the rest of the weekend. Qualifying will be key, but the race in Madrid, which demands precision, could be an opportunity if they can capitalise on every chance. Aston Martin certainly does not want to leave Spain without points, especially in front of their home crowd.
Baca Juga
Andrea Kimi Antonelli memimpin FP2 F1 Madring, ungguli Leclerc dan Hamilton. Sorpassi diprediksi sulit, kualifikasi jadi kunci.
Liam Lawson optimis bisa lebih cepat di Madring setelah FP2. Pembalap Red Bull itu fokus bangun kepercayaan diri di trek baru jelang kualifikasi.
Analisis winner dan loser dari sesi latihan bebas F1 Madring 2026. Arvid Lindblad crash tapi tetap cepat, sirkuit Madring menuai pujian.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!