Fernando Alonso Says Aston Martin Has Huge Potential After Qualifying Setback
Fernando Alonso qualified 17th for the Australian Grand Prix and said the Aston Martin car shows “huge potential” even as reliability and parts shortages leave the team at risk of not completing the race. Saturday at 5: 00 a. m. ET — fernando alonso credited extra running in practice with cutting a large deficit but cautioned the team remains fragile.
Fernando Alonso Starts Qualifying 17th After Limited Running
Alonso took 17th on the grid after a qualifying session that left him 2. 5 seconds off the pace in the first part of qualifying, a gap he said was halved from his Friday deficit. He said the difference came from finally completing a series of laps, with practice sessions two and three letting the crew run setups and optimizations that were not possible earlier in the weekend.
Adrian Newey and Honda Battery Shortage Leave Aston Martin at Risk
Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey has laid bare the scale of the team’s engine and battery problems, and the squad is now down to two operational batteries for the hybrid system. Newey said the team arrived with four batteries, but conditioning or communication problems affected two, leaving only two working units and no replacements available from Honda at the factory. That shortage forces a conservative approach on race day to preserve the hybrid units.
Aston Martin Faces Cautious Race Plan at the Australian Grand Prix
The constrained parts situation has already shaped on-track running: the team completed only three laps in opening practice because of power-unit problems, then managed 31 laps in the second session but remained off the pace by 4. 9 seconds in one timing reference. Alonso returned for 18 laps in the afternoon, while team-mate Lance Stroll was unable to run in qualifying and will start last. Alonso said the mechanics had been “working flat out and changing power-units day and night” in recent weeks and that the short supply of parts is an open problem for the garage.
What Alonso and Newey Say About Performance and Prospects
fernando alonso highlighted the chassis side as an area with “much more to come, ” saying the team felt more or less OK in the corners and believed a top-10 pace was achievable when they could put laps together. He added that running in P2 and P3 allowed Aston Martin to gain roughly two seconds simply by being on track and optimising the setup, but warned the package “seems very fragile at the moment. “
Newey has also described broader shortfalls in Honda’s current F1 operation, noting his surprise at the level of inexperience within the manufacturer’s engine group after it reformed. He and other team leaders only became fully aware of the staffing and capability issues late in the lead-up to the season, a revelation that helps explain the early-season struggles with both performance and reliability.
Team calculations now include running a cautious race strategy to conserve the two remaining batteries and other limited components. That approach will aim to ensure both cars can at least take the start and reach the next event, but it constrains the kind of aggressive laps that would be needed to climb from the back of the grid.
On the track, limited running has been measurable: three laps in first practice, 31 in the second session, and 18 laps for Alonso in the afternoon. Those figures underline the gap the team is attempting to close through setup work rather than outright power-unit gains, and they frame Alonso’s assessment that the car contains “huge potential” if the team can secure more consistent running and parts.
For now, the immediate focus is on completing the weekend at Albert Park without further damage to hybrid units. The next confirmed event is the Australian Grand Prix race on Sunday at 4: 00 a. m. ET.
