"Worst car ever" - Fernando Alonso fumes after he struggles with Aston Martin at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP FP1
Fernando Alonso's start to the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was far from ideal as the Aston Martin driver struggled during the First Practice Session. Alonso finished FP1 in P11 despite running 23 laps and wrapped up the session by venting his frustrations on the team radio.
Formula 1 is in Abu Dhabi for the final race of the 2024 season. Max Verstappen has already claimed the drivers' championship, while McLaren and Ferrari are set to go head-to-head for the constructors' championship.
However, Aston Martin is not involved in any of the championships, as none of Alonso, Stroll, or the team is in a place to fight for championships. The British team is placed P5 in the constructors' championship with 92 points.
Alonso clocked 1:25.504 as his best time in FP1, which was over a second and a tenth slower than Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who finished P1 in FP1. After the session, an unhappy Alonso vented his frustration and spoke about doing the next out-lap by himself. He said,
"Worst car ever, and worst traffic preparation ever. Next time I do my outlap myself."
Alonso's teammate for the session was Felipe Drugovich, who surprisingly fared better than the two-time world champion. He clocked 1:24.471 and ended the session in P9. Drugovich was three-hundredths of a second faster than Alonso.
The Spanish driver is currently ninth in the drivers' championship with 68 points, while his teammate Lance Stroll is in P13, 44 points behind.
Fernando Alonso shares his thoughts on the underwhelming 2024 season
Fernando Alonso shared his verdict on the underwhelming 2024 season, a season where instead of going forward, Aston Martin seemed to have traveled backward. Speaking before the Abu Dhabi GP this weekend, he said (via Crash.net),
"I think it's very long season for everybody, for the mechanics, for everyone in the team. And I think when the championship is also over, like Max won in Vegas, for us, it's probably after summer; we were fifth in the constructors' championship, no threats from behind, nothing to do in front of us.
"I'm happy to take the winter break now and start from zero next year, and hopefully more competitive. The motivation is different when you finish Abu Dhabi and you start next year's car and next year's simulator work and everything, than just coming here knowing that we will be between ninth and 12th here."
Fernando Alonso struggled throughout the season as the car's performance was nowhere near its 2023 form. Despite this, he will continue with Aston Martin alongside current teammate Lance Stroll in 2025 after he signed a multi-year contract with the Silverstone-based team earlier this season.