Fernando Alonso left a bittersweet taste during the first day of practice for the F1 Japanese Grand Prix. Although in free practice 1 he set very good times with the Aston Martin, in the second session he had to retire without even managing to complete a turn after making a mistake that took him off the track and left him stuck in the gravel, an error that may have caused damage to the flat bottom and would reduce his options for the race.
Alonso shows the two faces of F1
Fernando Alonso faces the Japanese GP eager to vindicate himself once again after a bad start to the season with two retirements that have prevented him from finishing a race. And the start could not have been more hopeful, where he set the seventh fastest time in free practice 1, always lapping with the best on the grid. Everything pointed to the Spaniard having a trouble-free first GP of the year, fighting for a place in the top half of the field.
However, in the second session, all the good feelings were turned upside down. The Asturian driver made a mistake with hardly any laps under his belt, he hit the grass on the outside before entering a corner and he lost the AMR25, gettingstuck in the damn gravel that is causing him so much damage this year. We will see if the damage is only psychological or if it also affects the car.
However, Fernando Alonso is happy with the first day of practice and is confident about his chances, while acknowledging the mistake he made.
“I think we are a little more competitive than in China, so I hope Q3 is possible.”
“It’s been a great day. It’s always a pleasure to drive at Suzuka. It’s a fantastic circuit with a great atmosphere thanks to the fans. The new asphalt is better. It has much better grip in the high-speed corners of the first sector. In FP2 I lost the car on lap 8 and ended up in the gravel. We’ll take a look at what happened and see what we can do tomorrow in qualifying”.
Fernando Alonso’s floor
If we look at previous occasions when Fernando Alonso has gone into the gravel, and especially at the speed with which he entered the corner, we can guess that the floor of the AMR25 will be damaged by the end of the weekend. If this damage is confirmed, it would be very bad news for the Spaniard. Obviously, his participation for the weekend is not in danger, but it is possible that the damage will be irreparable by the weekend and that this will cause him to lose a few tenths per lap, something vital in any circumstance, but even more so in a season where equality is greater than ever.
Aston Martin seems to have stepped up a gear this race after two poor starts where only luck has meant they have scored points in the first two races with Lance Stroll, but the truth is that hopes are pinned on Fernando Alonso returning to his best.
Two mistakes in three races
It is unusual to see Fernando Alonso make mistakes at the wheel of the car, but the truth is that this is the second time he has done so since the start of the season, although this one is not decisive at the moment. It was the case in the Australian GP, when he seemed to be fighting for points, but once again the gravel on the track, the consequences of which he did not know how to gauge, took him out of the race. If we add to this the reliability failure in China, the result is a very bad start for the Spaniard.
Options for qualifying and the race
Everything depends on how the flat bottom has turned out. If there is no damage, he will fight to get into Q3, and he has a good chance of doing so, which would allow him to fight for points with some ease on Sunday. If he doesn’t make it into Q3, we will have to wait and see how he performs in the race to see if he can get into the top ten and hope that the circumstances of the race favor his interests, as happened with Stroll in Australia and China.