Aston Martin will replace Fernando Alonso’s Honda power unit overnight ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix after the Spaniard qualified 17th at Marina Bay, with the team continuing to struggle for performance on the demanding street circuit.
The decision follows another frustrating day for Aston Martin, which saw Lance Stroll retire from the Sprint after contact with Sergio Pérez before Alonso finished 11th. Despite making progress during the Sprint, the two-time world champion was unable to find the pace needed to progress beyond Q1 in qualifying.
Alonso explains Aston Martin’s decision to change power unit
Alonso said Aston Martin had extracted the maximum available performance during the Sprint but remained short of the pace required to challenge for points.
“During the Sprint today, we got the maximum out of the car and benefited from other cars retiring to finish eleventh,” Alonso said.
“Unfortunately, qualifying wasn’t much different from sprint qualifying and we had to settle for P17. My final run went flawlessly and the team had everything well under control, but once again we simply lacked speed. That is why we decided to replace the Power Unit overnight.”
The power unit change is intended to address the concerns raised by Alonso, although the team’s broader lack of competitiveness remains a challenge heading into Sunday’s race.
Stroll rues difficult Singapore weekend
Stroll endured another disappointing session after making contact with Pérez during the Sprint, forcing him to retire early.
“So far, it is not our weekend. We are not performing here as expected. The car didn’t feel great today. It is a bumpy circuit and those kinds of tracks are difficult for our car. During the Sprint, we couldn’t capitalize on a single opportunity because I had to park the car early after contact with another car.”
The Canadian also encountered difficulties during qualifying, reporting traffic on his final flying lap. Confusion surrounding Valtteri Bottas abandoning his own fast lap further compromised Stroll’s attempt to improve his position.
The incidents compounded Aston Martin’s difficulties at a circuit where bumps, limited grip and the challenge of finding a clean lap can expose weaknesses in a car’s balance and performance.
Krack calls for Aston Martin to maximise race opportunities
Aston Martin team representative Mike Krack acknowledged that Saturday had delivered mixed results, with Alonso making progress during the Sprint but neither driver finding the pace needed in qualifying.
“A difficult day for us here in Singapore. During the Sprint we had mixed success: Lance retired early after making contact with Pérez, while Fernando made up four places and finished eleventh.”
Krack confirmed that Alonso’s feedback had informed the decision to change the power unit before the Grand Prix.
“During tonight’s qualifying, we didn’t have the speed to survive Q1. Based on Fernando’s feedback, we will replace his Power Unit. A long race awaits us tomorrow where anything can happen. We need to prepare well and be ready to make the most of every opportunity that arises.”
Aston Martin faces an uphill battle on Sunday
The power unit replacement adds another complication to an already difficult weekend for Aston Martin. While the change follows Alonso’s feedback, the team must also address the underlying performance limitations that left both drivers struggling around Marina Bay.
With overtaking notoriously difficult on the Singapore street circuit, strategy, reliability and safety-car interruptions could offer opportunities to recover positions. However, Aston Martin will need a significant improvement in race-day execution to turn its disappointing qualifying performance into a competitive result.
For Alonso, the priority will be to make the most of any opportunities that emerge while managing the limitations of the car. For Stroll, the team will hope to put Saturday’s incidents behind it and deliver a more consistent performance over the full race distance.
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