Alonso’s dry humour returns in Baku: ‘Because of that we are not on pole’

Aston Martin endured another highly difficult afternoon in a season that continues to offer no respite for its two drivers, with Alonso qualifying 19th and a full four seconds off pole, while Lance Stroll was penultimate, almost five seconds off the pace.

Speaking to GPblog, among other outlets, at the end of qualifying, the two-time world champion ironically stated: “I pushed into 15, and I locked up. So, driver error there, and because of that, we are not on pole.”

Asked what he can realistically expect from tomorrow’s race, Alonso admitted that the priority will be to avoid mistakes and bring the car to the chequered flag. With Aston Martin fighting for relatively minor positions, the Spaniard stressed the importance of preserving the car and its components across the upcoming triple-header, with three races to be contested in a short period.

Despite the difficult qualifying result, Alonso was more positive about the car’s performance compared to Friday. He explained that several overnight setup changes had given him greater confidence in FP3 and qualifying, allowing him to push harder and improve the car’s performance through the corners. However, he acknowledged that Aston Martin still has significant ground to make up, particularly in terms of the balance between chassis and power unit performance.

Starting Sunday's race with a grid penalty, Alonso explained that the new components themselves do not offer any additional performance, as they have the same specifications. However, the Spaniard revealed that Aston Martin had to take penalties to manage its component allocation for the remainder of the season, with the team hoping to benefit from newer parts at the upcoming races in Malaysia and Singapore.