New setback for Fernando Alonso, who does not win this weekend to his disappointment. The Spanish driver will start the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix from the pit lane, after suffering two consecutive accidents that severely affected his AMR24. The incidents occurred during Free Practice 3 at Imola.
In an effort to fix the issues in time, Aston Martin’s mechanical team worked tirelessly to repair the damage ahead of Q1 qualifying. However, technical complications forced Alonso to stop his car early. “The mechanics deserved better after the work they had done,” lamented the pilot.
The situation has worsened as it has been necessary to replace the damaged parts with others of different specifications. This action, governed by FIA regulations, involves starting the race from the pit lane.
Alonso, after finishing the session on Saturday, was already considering this option and even tried to see the positive side due to the possible strategies: “We can start from pit lane because there are benefits, for example, we have seen the accident at the start of Formula 2 and we have to avoid that type of thing, due to the number of pieces we have. So it would be an option.”
Even so, he admitted that expectations for this race are low, since there are practically no possibilities of overtaking. “The points this Sunday are not realistic,” he explained. With an uninspiring outlook, the Oventense driver made it clear that he wants the race on Italian soil to pass quickly so he can focus on Monaco.