Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): “It’s going to be very difficult at the Madrid circuit”

On 10 September, Fernando Alonso was asked here in the Madring paddock whether he expected a better race than at Monza. Fernando chuckled: “Ha! Anything’s better than Monza! We knew we’d have a particularly tough time in Italy with our power unit; things should go better in Madrid.”

But the 32-time Grand Prix winner doesn’t seem to be as competitive at the Madring as he was at Zandvoort or the Hungaroring. Alonso finished in 15th and 17th place and lost a huge amount of time due to a clutch problem with his green race car.

After the first day of practice, the 2005 and 2006 Formula 1 champion remarked: “We’re lagging behind because of the clutch problem. Our lack of speed on the straights has, of course, remained, so qualifying will be crucial.”

“At the same time, given the proximity of the walls and the possibility of a safety car or red flags, we must remain highly focused. Whatever the result in qualifying, there is still hope for Sunday if we execute the race perfectly.”

“It was tricky out there in practice, with all the traffic, and it’s not easy to get everything just right – with the tyre temperature and the battery charge level at the end of the lap. Sometimes, when you adopt a different driving style in the final corners, it seems that we react very sensitively to it with the Honda power unit. There are a few things we’re currently working out, and we definitely need to sort them out.”

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Madrid: Das Rennen Re-Live

FIA Formula One World Championship

13.09.2026 - 17:30