Fernando Alonso may no longer be fighting at the front, but his biting humor remains intact. At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Spaniard admitted his only goal is to save the car and components for the grueling triple-header ahead. "I pushed into Turn 15 and I locked up. So, a driver error there, and because of that we are not on pole," he quipped with a wry smile.
Aston Martin's performance in Baku is far from promising. After holding back on a big upgrade in Hungary, the team once again struggled on the high-speed street circuit. The Honda power unit deficit leaves them powerless, especially on the 2km start-finish straight. In second practice, Alonso was a staggering 30km/h slower than Mercedes' George Russell. Even in qualifying, both Aston cars were three seconds off the Q1 leader and four seconds adrift of Russell's pole lap.
Qualifying was almost irrelevant for Aston Martin as both Alonso and Lance Stroll took engine penalties, sending them to the back of the grid. With Williams' chassis upgrade allowing them to escape the rear, Aston Martin is now battling Cadillac for respectability. However, for Alonso, the result in Baku is not a priority. "Try to finish the race, make no mistakes like I did today, and don't crash the car. We are fighting for not many important places, so it's important to keep the car alive for the triple-header. There are three races now, so we need to take care of the stock parts," he emphasized.
Nevertheless, Alonso tried to find positives. He felt more satisfied with the car's balance after making extensive setup changes overnight. "Today I'm much happier than yesterday with the car. I was able to push and times were coming easier, 2.5 seconds faster," he explained. The improvement didn't significantly change his position, but it at least provided confidence amid the package's limitations.
For Aston Martin, the Baku race is part of a three-race stretch in three weeks, including Malaysia and Singapore. The main focus is survival and gathering data for improvements in the remaining season. With Honda's performance far from competitive, the team must cleverly manage resources to avoid running out of components during the busy schedule.
Alonso, a two-time world champion, understands this reality well. He no longer compares himself to the top teams, but focuses on variables he can control. "You can only appraise your own performance against the maximum potential available from your own package," he said. This attitude reflects the professionalism of a champion who keeps fighting despite disappointing results.
With a long season ahead, Aston Martin and Alonso must find solutions quickly if they want to escape this slump. For now, saving the car and components is the main goal. The Baku race may not yield points, but it could provide valuable lessons for the challenges ahead.
Baca Juga
Lando Norris mengaku menerapkan strategi 'pole or die trying' di kualifikasi F1 Baku. Meski tertinggal 0,8 detik, ia tetap semangat kejar gelar.
Fernando Alonso fokus selamatkan komponen Aston Martin di GP Azerbaijan. Defisit tenaga Honda dan penalti mesin jadi kendala utama di Baku.
Head-to-head kualifikasi F1 2026 usai GP Azerbaijan: Russell dominan, Piastri ungguli Norris, Verstappen masih terlalu kuat untuk Hadjar.
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