Alonso: "I would have fought for pole position; it's frustrating"

Everything pointed to a great result for Fernando Alonso in the Australian classification after surprising in the last free practices on Saturday and after being fifth, first of the rest, in Q1 and Q2.

However, a track exit at turn 11 of the Albert Park circuit ended his session early and, without being able to set time in the final Q3, condemned him to start tenth for the race, on the fifth row of the grid. .

As soon as he touched the wall, the pilot said on the radio that he had had a mishap in the Alpine that had prevented him from going down from fourth gear. Then, before the microphones of DAZN F1 , the Spaniard lamented the problem because he considers that he had serious options to fight for pole position.

“We’re still investigating, but it was a hydraulic problem. I didn’t have the gear change, I didn’t have the power steering, and everything went off in that corner,” he explained. “A shame, because I think it was a tenth better than pole, I had two sets of tires that we saved in Q1 and Q2, so we could have fought for pole position today, and we were having the best weekend I think. in many years”.

Alonso, whose last pole position was in July 2012 at Hockenheim , was in contention for first place which eventually went to Charles Leclerc ahead of the Red Bulls.

“As I say, the best weekend in many years,” he insisted. “And fighting for pole position we’ve been waiting for a long time, and the first time it comes, having a problem is a bit frustrating. If you have problems, you want them when you’re 11th or 12th, when you’re not fighting for anything important.

“But hey, it is what it is, and let’s see what can be done tomorrow”.

This blow for Alonso comes after other episodes of bad luck since the pre-season tests, and after a race, in Saudi Arabia, in which he left empty due to a breakdown in his car: “The truth is that another problem in my car is something quite frustrating, but let’s see if it ends”.

“It’s unbelievable how unlucky we are, because 20 seconds later, maybe we would have been on pole if the car had stopped at Turn 1 instead of Turn 11. These things are hard to explain.

If his team can repair the A522 without the need to replace penalty parts, Alonso will start tenth, just behind a Carlos Sainz who was injured by his compatriot’s accident and will start ninth.

Even so, the #14 does not rule out being further behind for the Australian GP race, but he assures that he is already a bit indifferent: “We have to see if we have to change anything in the car that will lead to a penalty, but Right now I don’t care, because I wanted to fight for pole position and be on the podium tomorrow”.

“If we take a point well, and if we don’t take it well too, because I prefer all or nothing. And at the moment bad luck is holding us back completely,” he concluded.

The photos of Fernando Alonso in the 2022 Australian GP of F1

Alonso’s accident in qualifying

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Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari F1-75, Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42

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Photo by: Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Foto de: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, gets off track

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, gets off track

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team

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Photo by: FIA Pool

Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

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Photo by: FIA Pool

Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team, Alex Albon, Williams Racing, Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

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Foto de: FIA Pool

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, goes long

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Photo by: Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, goes long

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Photo by: Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images

Alex Albon, Williams Racing, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team at the conference

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Photo by: FIA Pool

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team at the conference

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Photo by: FIA Pool

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team at the conference

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Photo by: FIA Pool

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine drives Thomas Randle’s Supercar

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Photo by: Edge Photographics

Fernando Alonso, Alpine drives Thomas Randle’s Supercar

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Photo by: Edge Photographics

Fernando Alonso, Alpine drives Thomas Randle’s Supercar

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Photo by: Edge Photographics

Fernando Alonso, Alpine drives Thomas Randle’s Supercar

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Photo by: Edge Photographics

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team, pilota con Thomas Randle, Tickford Racing, Ford Mustang GT

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Foto de: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team, pilota con Thomas Randle, Tickford Racing, Ford Mustang GT

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Foto de: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team, prueba con Thomas Randle, Tickford Racing, Ford Mustang GT

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Foto de: Edge Photographics

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team, prueba con Thomas Randle, Tickford Racing, Ford Mustang GT

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Foto de: Edge Photographics

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images