Alonso calls his frustration beyond imagination after Mexico City power unit fault

Fernando Alonso has said his frustration is beyond imagination after a power unit problem brought his Qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix to an early end, Formula 1 reported. The Aston Martin driver will start from P18.

What happened to Alonso's car in Qualifying?

Alonso's first lap was good enough to lead the timing screens early in the session. Then Aston Martin's pit wall radioed an urgent call to stop, and he pulled over just before the pit lane entrance.

Aston Martin's explanation was a suspected water pressure fault tied to the ERS. Alonso said the car came to rest about 100 metres from the garage, though the trouble was probably too big to fix there. The safest thing for everyone else on track was to stop, he said, and he followed the instruction.

What did Alonso say about the weekend?

He had finished Friday's Free Practice 2 in P12, 0.769s off the pacesetting Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, and he said he had been optimistic after that showing. A place in Q3 was probably too optimistic, he said, but P13 or P12 looked like the car's position in Qualifying.

Alonso said Mexico suited the AMR26 better than other circuits had because of its layout. With just two straights, into Turn 1 and into Turn 4, and very low grip, drivers rarely reach full throttle, so power matters less.

He is pessimistic about progress from the back of the grid, citing huge temperature problems for everybody and the difficulty of following cars closely. Aston Martin lost a big opportunity, he said, adding that this was the story of the year.

What we know so far

• Alonso's Qualifying ended early in Q1 with a power unit problem.
• Aston Martin points to a suspected water pressure fault in the ERS.
• He starts from P18 for the Mexico City Grand Prix.