Alonso out in Q1 in Mexico City and reprimanded over his steering wheel
Fernando Alonso was eliminated in the first part of Mexican Grand Prix qualifying after stopping his Aston Martin on track, which brought out a red flag. The stewards later gave him a reprimand for not refitting his steering wheel; Alonso called the day his latest frustration of the year.
A stopped car and a red flag
Fernando Alonso's qualifying in Mexico City ended before it had properly started. He was among the six drivers eliminated in Q1 after he was told to stop his Aston Martin, and the car came to rest in the stadium section of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, bringing out a red flag. PlanetF1 reports that he had gone to the top of the timing screens before the stoppage.
RacingNews365 puts the cause down to a water pressure fault linked to the energy recovery system, the latest problem with the team's Honda power unit. Alonso finished 18th on the timesheet. According to RacingNews365 he had already shown signs of power loss in final practice, and the team asked him to stop to avoid terminal damage to the power unit.
The reprimand
Afterwards the stewards investigated Alonso for a "general safety" matter: he had not fitted his steering wheel back onto the car before leaving it. The outcome was a reprimand, PlanetF1 reports.
Alonso said he was about 100 metres from the garage when he stopped, but that the problem was too serious to nurse the car back. According to RacingNews365 he called stopping "the safest thing for everyone else".
What Alonso said
The Spaniard did not hide his disappointment. RacingNews365 quotes him describing his frustration as "beyond imagination" and the episode as "the story of the year". He said the car had been running between 11th and 13th, so a place in Q3 would only have been possible with a near-perfect lap. He also ruled out a charge through the field, pointing to the high track temperatures that make following other cars difficult.
He added that the car had looked stronger than usual because the Mexico City circuit has only two long straights and low grip, so there is less time at full throttle and power matters less than elsewhere.
By the numbers
Our results data shows how rare good days have been for Aston Martin in 2026. After 18 rounds the team has 7 points, all scored by Alonso, who is 17th in the drivers' standings. His best finish is eighth and he has three top-ten results this season; team-mate Lance Stroll has no points, with a best finish of 12th.
The Mexican Grand Prix starts later today. Honda has said it plans two upgrade steps for 2027, the first for the season opener, and the team will hope the power unit problems of this weekend do not follow it into next year.
