Alonso downplays Bahrain GP points hopes after 'miracle' Q2 appearance in Sepang
Photo: Race Pictures
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Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Fernando Alonso has tempered any expectations that Aston Martin could fight for points at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, despite the Silverstone team securing their first double Q2 appearance of the season in Qualifying.
Alonso's teammate Lance Stroll arrived in Sepang with the glum revelation that Aston Martin were still two seconds off the pace with their Honda power unit despite having used the second of two ADUO upgrades since the Spanish GP. However, the Canadian finished in Q2 for the first time on Saturday, qualifying P14, while Alonso secured a P12 starting position.
Despite the encouraging Qualifying, Alonso - who recently announced his intention to stay at Aston Martin for 2027 - has poured cold water on any hopes of a points finish in Sepang, saying the team needs to "keep the feet on the ground" and that it is a "miracle" to be where they are. The two-time world champion also pointed to the grid penalties to Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad as a factor in Aston's higher starting position.
Alonso downplays points chances at Bahrain GP
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Photo: Race Pictures
"I would say no," Alonso said when asked on the prospect of a points finish on Sunday. "I mean, looking at the the whole season, why should we be in the points tomorrow?
"You know, we are less competitive, and I think so far it has been a good weekend, good Saturday for us, but we need to have the feet in the ground. There are some fast cars starting behind us with some penalties as well, tomorrow they will come strong."
"In the first laps of the race, we may lose a lot of positions on the straights with the main competitors, and then we cannot overtake them because we don't have the speed on the street, we damage the tyres. It's a miracle, we are fighting with cars that are much faster than us."
While there has not been a lot to shout about at Aston Martin this season, tyre degradation has not been a major problem for the British team and was raised as a possible advantage in the searing heat of Sepang. Even still, Alonso anticipates a difficult race, especially if the Astons get swallowed up in the opening lap.
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"You start in front of them and you you open a gap. yeah, you can manage the the tyres and you have a clean race. But if you are behind them because you lose positions on the first couple of straights and then you cannot pass because you don't have the top speed to overtake, then your race is heavily compromised.
"So it depends a lot of things tomorrow with [what] we can achieve... Let's have fun, obviously. It's much better to start at P12 than be in 21st, so let's try to enjoy."
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