Fernando Alonso Mexico Grand Prix qualifying Q1 exit Aston Martin power unit failure, Digi Mart USA News: Fernando Alonso was eliminated in Q1 of the Mexico Grand Prix after his Aston Martin AMR26 stopped in the stadium sector with eleven minutes remaining. The Spaniard set the eighteenth time, 0.387 seconds off Q2, after having been the fastest of eleven drivers at that point.
Alonso described his frustration as beyond imagination and lamented a lost opportunity in a difficult season for the team. Teammate Lance Stroll also failed to progress, finishing twentieth.
The problem originated in the power unit of the AMR26, which stopped in the stadium section and forced Alonso to leave the session before completing his reference lap. The pace he had shown up to that moment placed him in a position to fight for the top 13, a realistic target for the team this weekend.
Reliability once again hampered Aston Martin at a time when the car showed sufficient performance to get through the first round. The team will need to review the power unit data before Sunday’s race.
Aston Martin appears to have developed a special relationship with red flags and untimely stoppages. Alonso was quick, the car was responding, and then the power unit decided to take a break right in the stadium sector.
It is a shame, because the pace was there and Q2 was within reach.
Now the team must look at the data, check the power unit, and hope the car lasts to the chequered flag on Sunday without an unscheduled technical stop.
