Fernando Alonso calls his Mexico City GP qualifying exit “beyond imagination” after Aston Martin power unit issue

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Fernando Alonso described his frustration as “beyond imagination” after a power unit problem cut short his Qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix, following a weekend that had been reliable up to that point. The Aston Martin driver was forced to stop early in Q1 after the team suspected a water pressure issue connected to the ERS system.

Alonso’s weekend form had offered cause for optimism. He finished Friday’s Free Practice 2 in 12th place, just 0.769 seconds behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, a gap that suggested he was within the midfield battle going into Qualifying. During the session, Alonso initially set the pace in the opening minutes, but an urgent radio message instructed him to stop the car.

Speaking about the stoppage, Alonso said it was “100 metres away from the garage,” adding that the issue “probably” was “bigger than anything possible to do in the garage,” so he followed the instruction to stop to keep everyone else on track safe. He said: “So yeah, the safest thing for everyone else also on track was to stop – and I followed the instruction.”

When asked whether he had been optimistic after his strong Friday showing, Alonso replied “I was…”—but the outcome did not extend to a place in Q3. In his view, a decent result was lost, with the team’s practice running suggesting they were close to the “window” for progress. He said: “Probably difficult, but [in practice] we were P12, P13, P11, so we were in the window. If we put a good lap, maybe it was possible, but I think that was probably too optimistic. Maybe P13, P12 was our position today.”

Alonso also linked Mexico City to a package match-up that had surprised Aston Martin in a positive way. He argued the circuit’s layout reduces power sensitivity because of limited straight-line running and heavy grip constraints through most of the lap. “Less straights,” he said. “There are two straights only into [Turn] 1, into 4. The rest, with the level of grip so low, you hardly can go full throttle, so there is less power sensitivity here. So it was maybe because of that.”

With the grid outcome turning unfavourable, Alonso looked forward with caution, particularly after starting 18th. He described the challenge of making progress from the back at a track where close racing is difficult, citing “Huge problems with temperatures for everybody” and explaining that, once at the rear, there is “no way” to follow other cars closely when traffic tightens. “So, there is not much we can do – and I think we lost a big opportunity,” Alonso said. “So frustration is beyond imagination. But this is the story of the year.”