Alonso admits scale of Aston Martin crisis: 'We have the worst car and the worst engine'

Speaking to GPblog among other media after a qualifying session that saw him eliminated in Q1, Alonso admitted Aston Martin's lack of pace came as no surprise. The Spaniard revealed he had expected the team to be at the back of the field heading into the weekend and felt the final result merely confirmed those expectations.

As for finishing behind his teammate for the first time since last year's Sprint in Shanghai, Alonso downplayed the significance of the statistic, insisting that Stroll has often been much closer than people tend to remember. The Spaniard also pointed out that his teammate had finished ahead on several occasions in Sprint sessions and stressed that Stroll's pace should not be underestimated.

Finally, Alonso reiterated that Aston Martin is fully aware of its current limitations, describing the team as having both the least competitive car and engine on the grid at present. The Spaniard stressed that this reality has been clear for some time and that the team's focus remains firmly on future developments rather than short-term results.

Lance Stroll ended one of the longest qualifying streaks on the current Formula 1 grid in Barcelona, finishing ahead of Fernando Alonso for the first time in 42 Grands Prix. The Canadian edged his teammate by just 0.057s.

Both drivers found themselves rooted to the back of the field, with Alonso qualifying 22nd and Stroll 21st in a session that once again highlighted the team's lack of competitiveness. Aston Martin ended up more than a second slower than Cadillac and over four seconds adrift of pole position around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Despite finally getting the better of his teammate, Stroll remained brief when asked about that stat. Speaking to GPblog among others after qualifying, the Canadian repeatedly downplayed the significance of the result, making it clear that Aston Martin's position at the back of the grid left him with little reason to celebrate.