Fernando Alonso – Syndication Server

Verstappen keen to understand impact of ERS issues in Canada

Max Verstappen wants to understand the implications Friday’s reliability issues could have on his season after suffering an ERS problem in practice at the Canadian Grand Prix. Red Bull called Verstappen into the pits on just his fourth lap of FP2 …

Max Verstappen wants to understand the implications Friday’s reliability issues could have on his season after suffering an ERS problem in practice at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Red Bull called Verstappen into the pits on just his fourth lap of FP2 and he had to jump clear of his car in the garage, with the team unable to touch it for some time before getting to work on a suspected ERS issue. The championship leader was one of a number of drivers — including teammate Sergio Perez, both RB drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Alex Albon — to take a new power unit on Friday in Montreal, and he admits the situation could impact the rest of his year.

“Unfortunately FP2, not many laps for me. There was a suspected electrical issue so they told me to box, and they’re investigating now,” Verstappen said. “I haven’t been back in the garage yet, but I’m sure soon we’ll figure out what it is.

“It’s not ideal, I would have liked to drive more laps. Some other people had a few more laps in the dry, a few more laps now in the wet, so it’s definitely not how I would have liked to get on in FP2. I think it’s more important to just figure out what actually happened, and what kind of implications that will have for this weekend or the rest of the year.”

Teams are limited to four internal combustion engines (ICE), turbochargers, MGU-H and MGU-K components each season — with Verstappen taking his third of each on Friday — while they are also only permitted two energy store and control electronics components before receiving a penalty.

Verstappen wasn’t the only driver unhappy at the amount of running he got during a rain-affected day of practice, with Lando Norris not overly optimistic despite topping FP1.

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“Never enough, but we learned a good amount,” Norris said. “Actually not in the dry — didn’t learn enough in the dry to be honest. We did the least laps, I think, out of everyone. Not the best thing with that, but in the wet a good amount. I think we’re in a reasonable place. It’s always tricky around here, but I think a reasonable first day.

“At the minute…we seem a little bit off. Ferrari seem definitely a little bit ahead, but I don’t know where we are at the minute because the conditions are changing, so whether you do the first lap when the track’s the best, or the last lap when the track’s the best, it changes everything. I’ve no idea.”

Fernando Alonso was similarly uncertain about where Aston Martin stacks up after setting the fastest time of FP2, due to the majority of slick tire laps taking place on a damp track before further rain.

“It was a tricky Friday for everyone,” Alonso said. “Not many laps in FP1 and not many laps in FP2. Not proper laps in dry conditions and not proper laps in wet conditions — we were in the middle of nowhere. It could be like this in qualifying and the race so it’s still useful information. We need to analyze the data a little bit and be very sharp tomorrow – I think the right decision can gain you five seconds, the wrong decision you are out of the race.

“[The new track surface] feels OK. Obviously it’s not very clean. Also after the storm it’s quite dusty, but at the same time it feels quite good…so I think the new tarmac is a good one. We just need to test it in proper wet conditions to see if there is any aquaplaning or something like that.

“Apart from that, I think it’s going to be an interesting weekend for you guys from the outside, but for us it’s going to be a gamble…about which tire to put on in which moment. Let’s see if we get it right.”

Alonso slides atop the charts in a very wet Canadian FP2

Fernando Alonso topped a rain-interrupted second practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen retired early with a power unit issue. Pit lane opened as scheduled for the second hour of practice, but dark clouds hung heavy over …

Fernando Alonso topped a rain-interrupted second practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen retired early with a power unit issue.

Pit lane opened as scheduled for the second hour of practice, but dark clouds hung heavy over the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as a gaggle driver headed onto the track on slicks to make up for lost time in FP1.

Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly were quick to set lap times, but others were reticent in the slippery, drizzly conditions. It took another 15 minutes for drivers to attempt to attack the circuit with any meaningful anger.

Gasly briefly took top spot from Hamilton before Alonso relieved him of position as conditions gradually began to improve.

Home favorite Lance Stroll briefly usurped his teammate, and Charles Leclerc then momentarily took the fastest time, but Alonso slammed on three purple laps when the track was at its driest to set the pace at 1m 15.810s.

The rain came down shortly after, halting running, and though drivers re-emerged in the final 15 minutes, the track was never dry enough again for the Spaniard’s time to come under threat, with all drivers stuck on intermediate tires to the finish.

George Russell emerged as Alonso’s closest challenge, his Mercedes 0.463s off the pace, with Stroll holding onto third and 0.654s adrift of his teammate.

Monaco Grand Prix winner Charles Leclerc was fourth, but his best lap, 0.746s off the pace, was set on the medium tire rather than softs.

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Leclerc ended the session under investigation for improper tire usage, with Ferrari appearing to have sent him onto the track with intermediate tires minutes before the circuit was declared wet by race control at the beginning of the hour.

Daniel Ricciardo completed the top five for RB ahead of Kevin Magnussen, Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez down in 10th.

Esteban Ocon was 11th ahead of Logan Sargeant, Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri and Zhou Guanyu, whose car had been repaired following his FP1 crash.

The limited representative running was good news for title leader Verstappen, who lasted only 25 minutes in the session before smoke began billowing from the back of his car. The team suspected an energy recovery issue and ordered him back to his garage, where the Dutchman had to leap from the car as a safety precaution to guard against potential electrocution in the case of a battery problem.

Red Bull Racing had furnished him with a brand-new power unit at the beginning of the day.

The problem left him anchored 18th in the order with only four unrepresentative laps.

Pierre Gasly ended the hour 19th ahead of Lando Norris in 20th, who will be investigated by the stewards for failing to use the escape road after running wide at the final chicane.

‘One of those days where everything went wrong’ – Alonso

Fernando Alonso was left to rue a day “where everything went wrong” after crashing in FP3 and qualifying 19th for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Aston Martin were looking to reach Q3 with an upgraded car in Imola but had their preparations for …

Fernando Alonso was left to rue a day “where everything went wrong” after crashing in FP3 and qualifying 19th for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Aston Martin were looking to reach Q3 with an upgraded car in Imola but had their preparations for qualifying hit when Alonso spun at the final corner and hit the barrier. The damage required both car crews to work on Alonso’s car to get it ready in time for Q1, but then an unspecified issue led to him aborting his final attempt to advance and he was slowest of those to set a time before Logan Sargeant saw a lap deleted.

“One of those days that everything went wrong,” Alonso said. “Starting [with] FP3 obviously with a crash, quite heavy. The mechanics did a good job to make everything ready for Q1.

“And then in Q1, a combination of things, to be honest. We started with fuel for the whole session, just to give me a little bit of laps and practice. Just preparing some pit stops.

“I set the lap time at the very beginning when the car was heavy on fuel. Then when the car was light at the end and we put the last set of tires on, I had to box for an unknown problem. They called me [to] box, so it was quite painful.

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“I asked a few times [if they were sure they wanted me to box now]… I’m sorry for the mechanics because they deserve better after the job that they have done. But yeah, one of those days that everything goes in the wrong place.”

Alonso did at least feel that the Aston Martin upgrades were a step forward but believes the nature of the Imola circuit means he might struggle to show that pace on Sunday.

“The car felt a little bit faster this morning compared to yesterday before the crash. Now into qualifying the car also felt good. As I said, that lap is the first lap of the day for me on soft tires and heavy on fuel.

“I think there is a little bit of pace in hand. But yeah, the upgrades, I think the team is the one to analyze it and to comment on it. I think we have a lot of data from yesterday, especially FP1.

“Let’s see. I think Imola is one of the worst places to start at the back … it is the second most difficult circuit to overtake behind Monaco. Singapore ranks easier than [Imola] to overtake, so that tells everything. It’s going to be a tough race, but we should be able to learn something about the package.”

Call to review Alonso’s Chinese GP penalty rejected

Aston Martin’s petition for a right to review the penalty given to Fernando Alonso in the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix has been rejected. Alonso was penalized for causing a collision with Carlos Sainz late in the Sprint in Shanghai, earning a …

Aston Martin’s petition for a right to review the penalty given to Fernando Alonso in the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix has been rejected.

Alonso was penalized for causing a collision with Carlos Sainz late in the Sprint in Shanghai, earning a time penalty and three penalty points that put him half way to a race ban. Aston Martin lodged a petition for the right to review the penalty earlier this week, meaning it had to prove there was a “significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the party seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned”.

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The hearing took place via videoconference on Friday morning as it involved stewards from the previous race who are not in Miami, and Aston Martin submitted that the “significant and relevant new element” was the forward-facing camera view from Alonso’s car, that was unavailable to the team and the stewards at the time of the original decision.

While the stewards agreed that the footage was new and unavailable at the time, they did not feel it met the threshold of being significant, because “while it showed the incident from a different angle, it added nothing material to the visual perspective that we already had”.

As a result, the request was dismissed and the penalty points stand.

Alonso was critical of FIA stewarding prior to the decision being made public on Saturday night, as he stated “I do feel that nationality matters” when it comes to penalties being given to drivers, following his comments that Lewis Hamilton would not be penalized for his role in an incident at the start of the Sprint in Miami “because he’s not Spanish”.

Alonso claims Spanish drivers being treated differently by FIA

Fernando Alonso has claimed Spanish drivers are being treated differently by the FIA after a lack of a penalty for Lewis Hamilton at the Miami Grand Prix. Hamilton attacked Alonso down the inside of Turn 1 at the start of the sprint, arriving …

Fernando Alonso has claimed Spanish drivers are being treated differently by the FIA after a lack of a penalty for Lewis Hamilton at the Miami Grand Prix.

Hamilton attacked Alonso down the inside of Turn 1 at the start of the sprint, arriving quickly with Alonso having already made contact with teammate Lance Stroll just before the Mercedes pulled alongside. Stroll was then knocked into Lando Norris who was taken out of the race, and speaking after the Sprint had finished Alonso told Spanish broadcaster DAZN he expected the stewards to make a call based on nationality.

“I’m sure they won’t decide anything [against Hamilton] because he’s not Spanish,” Alonso said. “But I think he ruined a lot of people’s races, especially Norris — who has a very fast car.”

The stewards opted to take no further action, citing the three separate collisions as one of the factors in that decision.

“From the video evidence, it appeared that there were at least three collisions that occurred – the first between cars No. 14 (Alonso) and No. 18 (Stroll) and then between car No. 44 (Hamilton) and car No. 14 and finally between car No. 18 and car No. 4 (Norris).

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“While it appeared to us that the incidents began with cars No. 14 and No. 18, the sudden and fast arrival of car No. 44 contributed to the various collisions. However, we were not able to identify one or more drivers wholly or predominantly to blame for the various collisions or any one of them.

“Also keeping in mind that this was in Turn 1 of lap one where greater latitude is given to drivers for incidents, we took no further action.”

When that outcome was then put to Alonso after qualifying had finished, he maintained his stance that nationality plays a part in penalties.

“I have to open the gap because Hamilton was coming from the inside without control of the car, so if I do that for sure I get the penalty.

“I do feel that nationality matters, and I will speak with Mohammed [Ben Sulayem], with the FIA, whatever… I need to make sure there is not anything wrong with my nationality or anything that can influence any decision, not only for me also for the future generation of the Spanish drivers. They need to be protected.”

Aston Martin seeks review of Alonso penalty in China

Aston Martin has lodged a petition for a right to review the penalty given to Fernando Alonso during the Sprint in the Chinese Grand Prix. Alonso was penalized for colliding with Carlos Sainz during a fierce battle in the closing stages of the …

Aston Martin has lodged a petition for a right to review the penalty given to Fernando Alonso during the Sprint in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Alonso was penalized for colliding with Carlos Sainz during a fierce battle in the closing stages of the Sprint, with the pair making contact on multiple occasions and Alonso’s attempt to regain the position on the inside of Turn 9 pushing both cars wide.

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Alonso picked up a puncture and Sainz damage in the incident, but then it was the Aston Martin driver who was given a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his Super License afterwards.

The penalty points mean Alonso is now on six for the past 12 months, and six more before March of next year would lead to an automatic one-race ban. The first three points were handed out for the incident with George Russell in Melbourne this year.

Aston Martin is now seeking a review of the penalty in China, with an initial hearing to take place via videoconference on Friday in Miami to determine if a “significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the party seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned” exists.

If the stewards decide that there is such an element, then the hearing will proceed to a second part to review the initial decision – but not necessarily change it – and at that stage any interested parties are allowed to join the hearing.

Ferrari has also been summoned to the initial hearing.

‘Better not to race’ in Sprints – Alonso

Fernando Alonso says the Sprint format is showing it is “better not to race” on a Saturday due to the impact on tire usage and the penalty points he received at the Chinese Grand Prix. The stewards gave Alonso a retrospective 10-second time penalty …

Fernando Alonso says the Sprint format is showing it is “better not to race” on a Saturday due to the impact on tire usage and the penalty points he received at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The stewards gave Alonso a retrospective 10-second time penalty and three penalty points for causing a collision with Carlos Sainz when fighting for a top three position in China’s Sprint, leaving him halfway to a race ban. The penalty points appeared particularly harsh despite the pair making contact, and with Alonso then forced into an unusual strategy on Sunday where he made an extra pit stop due to a lack of hard tires, he says sitting out the Sprint would have been a better option.

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“I think getting more tires will be good because in FP1 it is a game of who can run less and who uses less sets of tires, so it is a shame for the fans,” Alonso said. “And then, the Sprint, if they want it for the show and for overtaking and you don’t let them race, it is better not to race.

“We didn’t have any more hard tires (on Sunday). We had one soft and one medium and 35 laps in front of us, which, in our calculations, it was not possible to make it to the end. Obviously, there were a lot of safety car laps to remove the Sauber and once the safety car came in – more safety car laps because they crashed.

“The best thing is not to do the Sprint, probably, on Saturday, to keep a set of tires for Sunday. There are few points on the table for us if you are not winning the race and you risk penalty points and things like that, so it is better maybe not to race.”

Despite his frustrations, Alonso says his fightback to seventh place in Shanghai was “a miracle again” as he overtook Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton in the final stint.

“The truth is that it was a very good race for me, I had a lot of fun,” he said. “I attacked at the end, in the last stint with the newest tires, which gave me the chance to do the fastest lap of the race, so it was a good feeling.

“The safety car lasted too long, especially the second one and to the people who didn’t have to stop anymore helped them to keep the tires a bit longer, but we finished four seconds behind [George] Russell, ten seconds behind a Ferrari, which is totally unthinkable.

“When we are given the opportunity, like the start, that we are all on a level playing field, we are back to gaining a place and having fun. And then, when the cars drop back to their natural position, it’s a miracle again that we finish seventh.”

Alonso halfway to ban after penalty for Sainz collision in Sprint

Fernando Alonso has accumulated more penalty points after being deemed responsible for a collision with Carlos Sainz in the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix. The Aston Martin driver was running second for the first part of the race before being …

Fernando Alonso has accumulated more penalty points after being deemed responsible for a collision with Carlos Sainz in the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Aston Martin driver was running second for the first part of the race before being overtaken by Max Verstappen, and then was driving defensively to hold off a queue of cars including Sainz, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris for the final top-three spot.

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Late in the Sprint, Sainz managed to find his way past around the outside of Turn 7 as the pair made light contact, but Alonso then tried to re-take the position into Turn 9 and pushed both off the track with another touch.

The stewards decided that Alonso was at fault for the collision – that damaged Sainz’s car and gave himself a puncture – and handed him a 10-second time penalty as well as three penalty points.

While the time penalty is redundant due to the fact that Alonso retired from the Sprint as a result of his puncture, the penalty points move him to a total of six accumulated in the 12-month period. Alonso has picked all six points up in the past three race weekends, with the first three coming for the incident with George Russell at the end of the Australian Grand Prix.

If a driver picks up 12 penalty points across a single 12-month period then they receive an automatic one-race ban.

Speaking before the penalty was handed out, Alonso claimed Sainz was to blame for not leaving him more room at Turn 9 during their fight.

“As we didn’t have many tires, we kept Max two laps behind, with Carlos it was some more laps,” Alonso said. “Turn 7 I think we were evenly matched, then in Turn 8 I tried to go to the outside, but he opened the line to not leave me room, so, in Turn 9 I did the same thing he did in Turn 8.

“I did the same thing he did in Turn 8, I tried to go to the inside to not leave him room on the line, but in Turn 8 I opened up so we didn’t touch, in Turn 9 he didn’t open up, so we touched and in the end I got the worst part because I had to retire,. But it doesn’t hurt much because it would only be one or two points and it was fun, good for that part.”

F1 rivals laud Alonso’s enduring commitment to F1

A number of Formula 1’s drivers have praised Fernando Alonso’s “remarkable” commitment to racing in the sport beyond his 45th birthday, following the announcement of his contract extension with Aston Martin. Alonso signed a new deal last week that …

Alonso signed a new deal last week that will see him race for the team until at least the end of the 2026 season, turning 45 in July of that year. The Spaniard made his F1 debut in 2001 and is already more than 30 starts clear of any other driver in the sport’s history. Lando Norris says it shows how committed Alonso has been.

“I think it takes a lot of dedication — I don’t think anyone thinks Fernando lacks that in any way,” Norris said. “I think he shows that with everything he does in life, whether it’s at the track, away from the track, in different sports, whatever it is. So it depends what you want to do, everyone’s different.

“It’s rare that you see someone commit for so long in any sport — he’s probably one of the oldest guys at the top of any sport in the world. And to be able to do that at the level that he has done and continues to do, you potentially could never see it again within Formula 1, and if you do it’s going to be extremely rare.

“So a lot of respect for that kind of thing. I have no idea if I want to do it in 20 years time if I am still going strong, but I love where I am now and to continue to do such a thing.”

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Charles Leclerc says it’s tough to picture himself still competing in F1 at Alonso’s age due to his desire to race in other categories, but says it’s the level Alonso is driving at that stands out.

“It’s difficult to imagine myself in 15 or 18 years time still in Formula 1,” Leclerc said. “However, we can definitely see how motivated Fernando still is and how high a level he is still performing at the moment, and this is what matters at the end of the day. Age is just a number, but what he’s showing on track is still at a very, very high level.

“On my side I would love to be racing still for many, many years. However, I’m not so sure whether Formula 1… I would like to experience other things. Le Mans is definitely a place you will see me race one day. But while I am fully motivated I will race and I love what I do, so for now that is what I want to do for the longest time possible.”

Alonso won two world titles in 2005 and ’06 to bring an end to Michael Schumacher’s period of dominance, and Esteban Ocon says it’s special to still be fighting against his former team-mate having grown up watching him.

“Huge respect for Fernando,” Ocon said. “Since I’ve been very little I’ve been watching him competing against Michael and these two guys are the guys who gave me the love for the sport, so to still be racing with Fernando now is very incredible.

“Just to see the career he has done, he has won in everything, basically. He has won in karting, he’s won in Le Mans, he’s won in the States in sports cars; almost everything that he’s competed in he has won, and that is more than remarkable and is a dream career for any athlete or racing driver.

“So I don’t know if I will still be racing at his age, but truly his dedication is something that is an example for all of us.”

Alonso signs multi-year extension at Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso has signed a multi-year contract extension to stay with Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team until at least the end of the 2026 season. The 42-year-old joined Aston Martin in 2023 and started in remarkable fashion with six podiums in the …

Fernando Alonso has signed a multi-year contract extension to stay with Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team until at least the end of the 2026 season.

The 42-year-old joined Aston Martin in 2023 and started in remarkable fashion with six podiums in the opening eight races of last season. After finishing the year fourth in the drivers’ championship, Alonso was linked with the vacancy at Mercedes earlier this year but has opted to both continue racing deep into his 40s as well as remaining with Aston Martin.

“It was easy,” Alonso said of the decision. “I think it didn’t change much from when we spoke in February on the car launch. I needed a few races or few weeks to really think about myself, if I was ready to commit for more years in Formula 1, because the calendars are just a little bit more intense now, the car as well, the commitments.

“My love for Formula 1 and my love for Aston Martin didn’t change, but I just wanted this time to make the decision and the commitment. Formula 1 takes all your time, all your energy. You have to give up basically everything in life to keep racing, and I wanted just to speak with myself if I was ready to do so.

“Once I took the decision — I think it was after Australia, something like that — I sat with Aston, which again is exactly the same as what I said in February, that would be my first priority, and it was not too difficult. We both wanted the same. I wanted to keep racing with Aston Martin, Aston Martin also wanted to keep me on the seat. When two parties want something, at one point you reach an agreement.

“So I’m extremely excited to keep racing and keep racing with this team, at which I feel at home. It was also a sense of loyalty that I wanted to express to my team. One year and a half ago, we started together and we achieved so many things — some of them probably unprecedented in Formula 1 to reach so many highs in such a short period of time. I felt this is just the beginning of the journey. It could not be the end of the journey for me and Aston Martin.

“Super, super happy, excited, also for the people at the factory, for the staff, for our partners — we have great partners in the team. So proud of them as well, all our sponsors. So yeah, it feels that it was my natural decision to make, to keep racing and to keep racing with Aston Martin was very easy.”

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Team principal Mike Krack says Alonso’s deal takes him through to the new regulations and Honda partnership in 2026 — the year will turn 45 — but the team has no doubts in his ability to continue performing at such a high level.

“Securing Fernando’s long-term future with Aston Martin Aramco is fantastic news,” Krack said. “We have built a strong working relationship over the last 18 months and we share the same determination to see this project succeed. We have been in constant dialogue over the last few months and Fernando has been true to his word: when he decided he wanted to continue racing, he talked to us first. Fernando has shown he believes in us, and we believe in him.

“Fernando is hungry for success, driving better than ever, is fitter than ever, and is completely dedicated to making Aston Martin Aramco a competitive force. This multi-year agreement with Fernando takes us into 2026 when we begin our works power unit partnership with Honda. We look forward to creating more incredible memories and achieving further success together.”