Fernando Alonso has endured a stuttering start to the season with Aston Martin but finally delivered his first points of the year at the F1 Spanish GP.
The two-time World Champion crashed out of the first round in Australia in the rain and retired in Monaco as his Mercedes engine expired.
Alonso drove to ninth place at his home race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after inheriting the position at the chequered flag.
The Aston Martin driver crossed the line in P10 but moved ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen after his 10-second penalty was applied.
Alonso expected more in Spain after a good qualifying
Alonso was blisteringly quick in Barcelona over a single lap and broke into Q3, eventually setting a time good enough to start 10th on the grid.
He was significantly quicker than teammate Lance Stroll before the Canadian pulled out of the event after suffering from recurring wrist issues from an injury sustained in 2023.
Alonso explained that he was held back over the 66-lap event by high tyre wear: “P9 is the first two points in the championship. And finally, we avoid the question on next Thursday, if that will be the weekend.
“But I was expecting a little bit more, probably, from the race. I felt more competitive in qualifying than the race. We had a lot of front tyre degradation, so the front left was done by seven laps into the stint.
“And then we lack top speed. So on the straights, we were losing a lot. I didn’t make any single overtake on the DRS. They were all made in Turn 3 on the outside, which is not a normal place to overtake. We have to invent this kind of moves. Also in Imola, I was out of Turn 7, where I made like, three overtakes in the last few laps.”
A distinct lack of top speed has been an issue for Aston Martin in the ground effect era despite all the teams resources.
The British team have struggled to overtake which has made life more difficult in the ultra-competitive midfield.
Alonso has floundered in the midfield as the team regressed midway through 2023 onwards after a flurry of podiums to kick off that year.
Alonso highlights top speed and tyre degradation as Aston Martin’s main weaknesses
He has suffered a difficult start to the year and has outlined Aston Martin’s main areas of improvement during the second half of the year.
The double world champion feels that qualifying is already at a good level but the race pace is lacking for the Silverstone-based team.
Alonso said: “It is only for us [straighline deficit] because everyone is overtaking. We need to improve little bit our straight line speed and also the degradation. Saturdays are quite competitive, and on Sundays, we seem to take a step back.”
Alonso will be eager to keep up the momentum next time out in Canada, particularly as Nico Hulkenberg’s fifth place was enough for Sauber to leap ahead of Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship.
