Fernando Alonso, the driver of the Aston Martin, readjusts his cap.
Fernando Alonso will start Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from the pit lane after Aston Martin made changes to his car overnight.
Alonso’s Saturday qualifying at Imola was dreadful, with only Logan Sargeant’s invalidated lap time preventing him from securing the very last position on the grid.
Aston Martin: Upgrades not competitive enough
At the time, the Spaniard confessed that Aston Martin had the authority to make modifications to his car prior to the Grand Prix, resulting in a pit lane start being necessary.
Alonso mentioned that there are also some advantages if we begin from the pit.
“We also witnessed the crash in F2 at the beginning. It’s crucial to prevent such incidents considering the number of parts we possess for Formula 1 teams. Therefore, it might be worth considering as an alternative.”
Overnight, the team made a decision to change the Spaniard’s rear suspension, thereby violating parc ferme regulations.
According to the stewards’ notes, the suspension setup of Car 14, Aston Martin Aramco, was altered in Parc Ferme, which violates Article 40.9 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations. As a consequence, Car 14 must commence the Race from the Pit Lane.
What have we learned from the Imola weekend so far?
Max Verstappen to miss the win, Yuki Tsunoda ahead of Hamilton and more Imola predictions
Emilia-Romagna GP: Data shows ‘tow buddy’ helped Max Verstappen on way to Imola pole
F1 starting grid: What is the grid order for the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola?
Winners and losers from the 2024 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix qualifying
The introduction of nine new parts of the AMR24 coincided with Alonso’s qualifying troubles over the weekend.
Lance Stroll, who secured the P13 spot in qualifying, acknowledges that they did not meet expectations.
He informed the media, including PlanetF1.com, that it was not the day or weekend they had anticipated with the upgrades they had brought, as they were not up to par in terms of competitiveness.
In my opinion, although everything seemed to be functioning properly, it simply wasn’t up to par. Consequently, we continue to strive for improvement. Other teams appear to be more competitive than us currently, highlighting our lack of competitiveness.
“The sensation remains unchanged throughout the entire year. Although we introduced some enhancements that might have provided slight improvements, we require a substantial boost to close the gap between us and the teams ahead on the grid.”
Read next: Follow PlanetF1.com’s WhatsApp channel for all the F1 breaking news!
