Fernando Alonso’s difficult Saturday at Imola

It is rare to see Fernando Alonso going off track. And to finish in the wall. Yet, this is exactly what happened this Saturday during the third free practice session. In the last corner of the Imola circuit, the Spaniard lost the rear of his Aston Martin.

With the speed of the single-seater, the double world champion in title crashed into the protective tires. Result? A destroyed rear train and less driving time. Big doubts were emerging about his participation in qualifying considering the damage.

Finally, number 14 was indeed at the start of Q1. But he was much less comfortable than in the early afternoon. The Aston Martin driver went off the track again at Tamburello. But this time with less damage.

A combination of bad luck

The Spaniard made several mistakes during this session which prevented him from moving up to Q2. In the end, only a 19th time was clocked. Only Logan Sargeant will be behind him, as his best time was deleted for exceeding track limits. This is only the second time since joining the British team that he has been eliminated in Q1.

« I think the car was good in qualifying. It’s a combination of bad luck in the end. When I did my first lap, I was too heavy on fuel. At the end of the session, when the car was lighter, we had to stop for a problem. It’s a shame, there was more grip, regrets number 14.

Fernando Alonso will be forced to make a big comeback this Sunday if he wants to get into the points zone. This mission is likely to be difficult as it is extremely hard to overtake on this narrow Italian circuit.

« I am sure there will be more things to do tomorrow. We will try to learn new things. »

Alonso’s FP3 ended early after this collision with the barriers 😖#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/oQGhdzR4h3

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2024