Aston Martin’s Strong Showing in British Grand Prix Qualifying Marred by Alonso’s Disappointment
Yesterday, during the Formula 1 qualifying session for the British Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso explained that a mishap on his out-lap ahead of his final run in Q3 cost him a strong finish. Despite this, Aston Martin advanced both its cars into the top-10, with Lance Stroll successfully securing eighth place.
Alonso, who finished as high as third in Q2, could only muster 10th place after abandoning his final run. The Spaniard expressed disappointment with the end result, which was 10th by the time the 12-minute Q3 session had concluded. He attributed his poor performance to strategic errors and a crowded out-lap.
“We had only one new set of tires for Q3,” Alonso explained. “We didn’t make the [final] lap. It was a big fight on the out-lap between Carlos [Sainz], Oscar [Piastri], and myself. They started really [close] together, both of them, so their laps were not good and I started in first gear in the last corner. So by Turn 3 I was half a second down and yeah, we boxed.”
Despite his disappointment, Alonso acknowledged that advancing both Aston Martins into Q3 is a significant improvement over recent rounds, where the Silverstone-based Formula 1 outfit has struggled to advance to Q2. The team’s stronger showing on Saturday at Silverstone is a result of lessons learned at Barcelona and the Red Bull Ring.
“I think we understood a couple of the problems we faced in Barcelona and Austria, so we were optimistic or more optimistic for this race to fix some of those,” Alonso said. “And yeah, I think we confirmed that the car went back to a more natural position, fifth or sixth fastest team, fighting for the last spots in Q3 and hopefully tomorrow we’re fighting for the last couple of points with both cars.”
Aston Martin’s fight to fend off the advances of midfield teams such as RB and Alpine involves bringing more upgrades to Silverstone, including a revised front wing and rear corner elements. Alonso relayed that the upgrades were working “as expected,” as the team looks to make progress after recent setbacks.
“I think the upgrades are better, the car is performing better and we tested them yesterday, the new front wing and things, and it was as expected a step forward,” Alonso said. “And yeah, I think in Austria and Barcelona we went two or three steps backwards and we fixed a little bit the car here.”
Today’s Formula 1 Qualifying Highlights
- Fernando Alonso disappointed with 10th place finish in Q3 due to strategic errors
- Aston Martin advances both cars into top-10 with Lance Stroll securing eighth place
- Team’s stronger showing in qualifying attributed to lessons learned at Barcelona and the Red Bull Ring
- Alonso remains optimistic about the team’s chances in tomorrow’s British Grand Prix
Formula 1 Calendar
- British Grand Prix – Silverstone, UK (July 8-10)
- Next: Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Austria (July 22-24)
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Formula 1 Qualifying
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