Gloomy forecast from Fernando Alonso: "Next races will be exactly the same"

Fernando Alonso had to swallow a particularly bitter pill on Saturday's qualifying session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The proud Asturian was not only the slower of the two Aston Martin drivers, he also finished last in the time trial that determined the grid positions for the seventh Grand Prix of the season. His team-mate Lance Stroll will start the Spaniard's home race alongside him from the back row.

The two-time world champion did not have an easy game, as the Honda drive unit in his company car once again caused him problems. The two-time champion sighed: "That was another difficult session. I had shifting problems again."

And the 44-year-old explained: "Sometimes the rear wheels locked when I shifted into a lower gear, sometimes there was a huge bump under braking. The handling wasn't consistent again, that's just the way it is at the moment."

Hope for the second half of the season

Alonso also knows that his situation won't change that quickly. That's why he's not fooling himself. When asked what he was hoping for from the race in front of his home crowd, he explained: "Not much, the first six rounds of the championship didn't go very well and the next four or five races will be exactly the same. We're at the back of the field and are just trying to get through the weekend with as few problems as possible until we get the big upgrade. Then hopefully we'll have a bit more fun."

After all, the 32-time GP winner was able to benefit from the six retirements of his rivals on the Monaco street circuit and scored his first championship point in tenth place. This puts him in 18th place in the overall standings after six rounds of the championship. Stroll has still not collected any championship points and has only finished twice. As a result, he is in 22nd place in the standings and therefore brings up the rear of the Formula 1 field.

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