The highs of 2023 seem to be a long time ago for Fernando Alonso, whose season with Aston Martin keeps going from bad to worse. After a Q1 exit on Friday at the Las Vegas GP qualifying, Alonso gave a harsh assessment, reminding everyone where Aston Martin truly is.
Last season, Alonso was an optimistic figure, who dreamt about winning races and someday even his third World Championship. After qualifying in Sin City, however, he seemed to have given up.
“We will be uncompetitive in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. I can say that now,” the 43-year-old said after qualifying, where he finished P17. “Q1 is our pole and we have to risk everything,” he added, likely urging the team to give its best in the final two races of the campaign.
Fernando Alonso: “Seremos poco competitivos en Catar y Abu Dabi. Lo adelanto ya”
“La Q1 es nuestra pole y tenemos que arriesgar TODO”.#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/id1qf0kNFL
— Fórmula Directa (@FormulaDirecta) November 23, 2024
2024 has been a woeful year for Aston Martin and Alonso, who has on several occasions found it difficult to finish in the points and also get out of Q1. These struggles were even more apparent in Las Vegas, where almost all teams in the cold temperatures were struggling for grip.
However, getting into Q2 should have been the bare minimum for Aston Martin. Even Zhou Guanyu, in his Sauber, managed to get into the second part of the session, driving a car that has been painfully slow all year round.
Aston Martin under threat from behind
Scoring points looks to be an incredibly daunting task for Alonso and Co. on Saturday, especially since his teammate Lance Stroll qualified three places behind the Spaniard, setting up a last-row start. This would be of huge disappointment to the team’s mechanics, who did a fine job in getting the Canadian’s car out for qualifying despite it suffering from engine problems late into FP3.
Aston Martin currently has a healthy lead of 37 points in the Constructors’ Championship standings over Alpine in P7. However, considering how good the French team has been of late, it may not take long for the tables to turn.
In Sao Paolo three weeks ago, Alpine had a double podium finish. And in the Las Vegas GP, its driver Pierre Gasly will start from third on the grid, giving Alpine a golden opportunity to close the gap to Aston Martin.
