Fernando Alonso had a tough Friday at Monza. The Aston Martin driver finished 19th in the second free practice session before the Italian Grand Prix, finishing 2.468 seconds behind the fastest George Russell, Formula1.com reports. The Spaniard set a time of 1:25.027 minutes, with only the two Cadillac cars and his teammate Lance Stroll behind him. Alonso was also more than a second slower than Carlos Sainz, who finished 17th.
The problem for Aston Martin seems to be particularly serious on the long straights of Monza. The track is among the fastest on the calendar, and it is there that the shortcomings of the Honda powertrain stand out the most, and the car lacks speed.
From Aston Martin admitted that Alonso also had an electrical problem in the pits, which delayed his start in the second practice session.
Despite the poor result, the two-time world champion is not losing faith in Honda. Alonso said he has “100%“ confidence in the Japanese manufacturer and expects the problems to be gradually resolved.
“We started on the wrong foot with these regulations, but I have no doubt that we will get there“, commented Alonso, according to the official Formula 1 website. He stressed that the team does not want to wait five or six years, but hopes to make the necessary progress within two or three.
The situation is curious, as only two weeks ago Alonso finished ninth in the Dutch Grand Prix - his first points of the season. At “Monza“, however, the high speed on the straights revealed Aston's weaknesses Martin.
For comparison, George Russell was fastest in the second practice session with a time of 1:22.559, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli.