Fernando Alonso has been a very consistent factor in the 2023 Formula 1 season so far, but during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, the 41-year-old Spaniard went wrong. Damage sustained to his Aston Martin car then prevented him from securing a spot on the first few rows of the grid.
Disappointing qualifying for local hero Alonso
During Q1, Alonso crashed into the gravel, damaging the floor of his car. He still managed to reach the final part of qualifying, but for much of Q3, mechanics could be seen busily tinkering with the floor. As a result, the Aston Martin driver could only make one attempt at a fast lap.
"Q1 probably did compromise everything today," Alonso told GPblog among others. "I made a mistake, I went on the damp part of the circuit, I guess, on the last corner because I lost the car and then it was very costly because that gravel completely destroys the floor. And yeah, it hurts even more because it was the outlap, I was not even pushing, it was not a push lap, it was the outlap. So yeah, disappointed with my performance today. Hopefully, I can do a better Sunday."
For Alonso, the setback does not come extra hard because it happens on the weekend of his home race. "No, it hurts always, even if I'm in Australia, it will hurt still as much as now," said the two-time world champion, who will have to come from afar during the Spain GP. Initially, he got no further than P9, but Pierre Gasly 's double grid penalty moves Alonso up one place.