Alonso again suspects a mystery DRS problem with his Aston Martin Formula 1 car in Baku. The Spanish driver did not know on Saturday whether the DRS problem that affected both of his cars on Friday had been solved, as overtaking in the Sprint race was so difficult for him.
Fernando Alonso suspects that the DRS problem that slowed him down in Friday’s qualifying session in Baku is still present in his car after he struggled to overtake in Saturday’s sprint race.
DRS issues
The Aston Martin driver, who finished sixth in Saturday’s Sprint race in Baku, has asked his team to check that the drag reduction system is working properly on his car ahead of Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
“I’m happy to have scored points in the Sprint after gaining two positions, but I don’t know if the DRS problem we had all weekend is solved, but we will analyse it overnight and I hope everything will be fine for tomorrow,” said Alonso on Saturday evening in Baku.
“Even with the DRS on, overtaking was quite difficult today and we were all very close in terms of performance.”
F1 teams veto rule to allow Norris into Q3
Alonso hopes for chaos
For Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the two-time world champion – who will start from sixth behind Hamilton’s Mercedes – is counting on the very likely entry of a safety car to perhaps gain a few positions and why not go for a fourth consecutive podium since the start of the season.
“I think we have a chance to finish even better in tomorrow’s race and there’s always a chance of a safety car or a red flag mixing things up here.”
Ahead of the start of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso sits third in the drivers’ championship, 14 points behind Sergio Perez.
MORE F1 NEWS: Verstappen mocks Russell ‘rookie mistake’
George and Max have a tense post-Sprint debrief over their Lap 1 contact 😅#AzerbaijanGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/TjtwOyu5ff
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 29, 2023
