Fernando Alonso Explains Aston Martin F1’s Drop in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix: “The AMR25 Is the Last Car”

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso finished in 15th place after facing several issues during the start with his AMR25 at the Baku circuit. From the beginning of the weekend in Azerbaijan, Alonso had warned that the track did not benefit the characteristics of the AMR25, which became evident throughout the practice sessions. During the first free practice sessions, driver number ‘14’ showed signs of oversteer and lacked straight-line speed. Despite these difficulties, Alonso was only 69 thousandths away from reaching Q3, maintaining the hope of fighting for points in the race.

Fernando Alonso’s Misfortunes with Aston Martin in Baku

The race began unfavorably for the Aston Martin driver, who had a false start that cost him a five-second penalty. Fernando commented over the radio: “I reacted to Oscar Piastri, I’m sorry.” Later, on lap eight, Gabriel Bortoleto overtook the Asturian driver, who was in 11th position, thus moving away from the top ten group. On lap 22, Alonso stopped in the pits to change to hard tires, which caused him to drop to the antepenultimate position.

From that moment on, the two Haas drivers managed to overtake Alonso on the track, as did Alex Albon from Williams. Finally, the Spaniard crossed the finish line in 15th position, while his teammate finished in 17th, just ahead of the two Alpines and Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber. This result fulfilled the poor forecast that Alonso had expressed at the start of the weekend. However, looking ahead to the next Singapore Grand Prix, the Aston Martin driver hopes that his AMR25 will be more competitive.

Alonso’s Reflections on the Race

Fernando Alonso shared: “The penalty doesn’t change anything, we are the last car on the grid and we are fighting with Alpine. At least I am 15th of the two Aston Martins.” He continued expressing that the penalty had no impact on his performance: “We didn’t have pace. Nothing happened to the suspension today, there was no Safety Car or anything. I’m used to this. When I start at the front, everything happens and I usually finish behind, and if I start behind on a weekend like this, we do all the laps at the back.”

The experienced driver also referred to future events, indicating: “We know that in Las Vegas we will be the last car, that in Mexico we will also be the last, so we will try to get through those races quickly and without causing damage to the car,” Fernando Alonso concluded.

 

Curiosities about Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin F1

  • Alonso is known for his ability to adapt to different cars and circuits throughout his career.
  • The AMR25 has been subject to criticism for its performance on circuits that require high speed.
  • Fernando has demonstrated a positive attitude despite the negative results, maintaining the hope of improving in future races.
  • The penalty during the race is a reminder of how unpredictable events in Formula 1 can be.
  • With a career full of successes, Alonso remains a benchmark in motorsport, inspiring new generations of drivers.

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