Alonso and Stroll unable to finish after attempting to recover from the back
Circuit de Barcelona-CatalunyaThe Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Round 7 of the Formula 1 season, took place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
In the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Lance Stroll started from 21st on the grid, while Fernando Alonso, who had qualified 22nd, started from the pit lane following a power unit (PU) component change. Both cars began the race on hard tyres.
There was no major drama at the start, and both drivers settled into the race without any significant changes in position. However, on Lap 5, Stroll reported a gearbox problem over the radio and came into the pits. The car was taken into the garage, bringing his race to an early end.
Alonso, meanwhile, continued to race tenaciously from the back of the field. On Lap 12, he passed Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) on the main straight to move up to 20th. He then gained positions as other cars on soft and medium tyres made their pit stops, rising as high as 16th. However, his lap times gradually began to drop off, and he slipped back to 20th. On Lap 21, he switched to a second set of hard tyres. From there, retirements and the timing of other cars’ pit stops moved him up to 17th.
On Lap 40, Alonso’s car suddenly lost power. The team initially instructed him to pit, but moments later told him over the radio to stop the car somewhere safe. Alonso pulled onto the grass on the inside before Turn 9. The cause was a battery-related issue. It proved to be a difficult race for the team, with Stroll retiring due to a gearbox problem and Alonso’s race ending with a battery-related issue.
We had an issue with the battery and had to retire the car. We are struggling with our performance, and we know this is our situation until around the summer break. The support from the fans has been incredible this weekend and I want to thank them for everything. Unfortunately, we couldn’t give them what they wanted.
We had an issue with the battery and had to retire the car. We are struggling with our performance, and we know this is our situation until around the summer break. The support from the fans has been incredible this weekend and I want to thank them for everything. Unfortunately, we couldn’t give them what they wanted.
I had to retire the car because of a gearbox issue; I couldn't get third or fourth gear for the last couple of laps. We'll investigate it further after the race. We have a lot of things to work on, and we're focussing on our upgrade package which is due around summer break. Until then, we know things will continue to be difficult.
I had to retire the car because of a gearbox issue; I couldn't get third or fourth gear for the last couple of laps. We'll investigate it further after the race. We have a lot of things to work on, and we're focussing on our upgrade package which is due around summer break. Until then, we know things will continue to be difficult.
A difficult weekend came to an end with a DNF for both cars. Lance reported a gearbox issue, whilst Fernando had to stop due to a problem with the battery. We'll now regroup and look ahead to Spielberg.
“I want to thank all the Aston Martin Aramco fans here - it was nice to see all the green in the grandstands and we really appreciate the support. We'll keep pushing hard to hopefully give you more to cheer about in future races.
A difficult weekend came to an end with a DNF for both cars. Lance reported a gearbox issue, whilst Fernando had to stop due to a problem with the battery. We'll now regroup and look ahead to Spielberg.
“I want to thank all the Aston Martin Aramco fans here - it was nice to see all the green in the grandstands and we really appreciate the support. We'll keep pushing hard to hopefully give you more to cheer about in future races.
During the grand prix, we observed unusual behaviour in the battery data of car #14 and made the decision to stop the car. We are currently investigating what occurred with the battery. It is particularly unfortunate that this happened here at Fernando's home race.
During the grand prix, we observed unusual behaviour in the battery data of car #14 and made the decision to stop the car. We are currently investigating what occurred with the battery. It is particularly unfortunate that this happened here at Fernando's home race.
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