Fernando Alonso was left seething after a power unit failure torpedoed his Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying session, robbing the Aston Martin veteran of what he believed was a genuine opportunity to secure a much strong starting position.
The Spaniard made no attempt to disguise his anger after an electrical-related problem brought his Q1 session to an abrupt halt, leaving him stranded in 18th place and facing another potentially miserable Sunday.
For a driver who had glimpsed some encouraging signs of competitiveness during Friday's running, the timing could hardly have been more cruel. Alonso had finished second practice 12th, just 0.769s off the pace, and appeared capable of fighting for a place further up the midfield.
Instead, an apparent water-pressure issue associated with the ERS system brought his qualifying hopes crashing down before he could properly get started.
A promising weekend undone in minutes
Alonso had initially made an encouraging start to Q1, briefly topping the timesheets with his opening lap. But the optimism evaporated when an urgent message from the Aston Martin pit wall instructed him to stop immediately.
He brought his AMR26 to a halt just short of the pit-lane entrance, visibly frustrated but aware that continuing was not an option.
“It was 100 metres away from the garage, but probably the problem was bigger than anything possible to do in the garage," he said.
"So yeah, the safest thing for everyone else also on track was to stop – and I followed the instruction.”
©Aston Martin
Asked whether Friday's performance had given him reason to approach qualifying with optimism, Alonso offered a tellingly brief response.
“I was…”
The two-time world champion was nevertheless realistic about what Aston Martin could have achieved. A Q3 appearance was probably beyond reach, but a considerably better grid position had looked attainable.
“Probably difficult, but [in practice] we were P12, P13, P11, so we were in the window. If we put a good lap, maybe it was possible, but I think that was probably too optimistic. Maybe P13, P12 was our position today,” he said.
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Mexico City Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?Alonso also suggested that Mexico's layout had played into the AMR26's relative strengths, with its limited number of long straights reducing the impact of the car's power deficit.
"Less straights. There are two straights only into [Turn] 1, into 4. The rest, with the level of grip so low, you hardly can go full throttle, so there is less power sensitivity here. So it was maybe because of that.”
The story of Aston’s year
Unfortunately for Alonso, the prospect of making amends on Sunday offers little comfort.
Starting 18th at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is an unenviable proposition, particularly given the difficulty of following other cars closely in the turbulent air and managing temperatures in traffic.
The veteran was under no illusions about the scale of the challenge awaiting him.
“Huge problems with temperatures for everybody,” he said. “When you start at the back, there is no way you can follow cars closely, or something like that.
"So, there is not much we can do – and I think we lost a big opportunity. So frustration is beyond imagination. But this is the story of the year.”
At 45, Alonso remains as combative as ever, but patience with Aston Martin's recurring misfortunes is clearly wearing thin.
Mexico has offered another painful reminder that even when the package appears capable of delivering something better, the team still needs everything to work just to give its driver a fighting chance.
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