Fernando Alonso Questions Honda Power Unit Performance After Singapore Struggles

Fernando Alonso has expressed dissatisfaction with the Honda power unit's performance in his Aston Martin during the Singapore Grand Prix. Despite narrowly missing out on Q2 by just half a tenth, Alonso found himself grappling with power unit issues during the race. "There is something on the power unit that is not performing as it should do this weekend," he told reporters, including PlanetF1.com, after the race. With challenging races ahead, including Mexico's slow-speed corners and possibly Las Vegas, Alonso emphasized the need to address problems such as drivability and turbo lag, which he felt cost significant lap time at Marina Bay.

The Spaniard was asked if the unique characteristics of the Singapore track were responsible or if there had been a regression in the Honda PU's drivability. "I don’t know. We need to see," he replied, noting that similar tracks like Sepang and Baku did not present these issues. This specificity to Singapore left Alonso without clear answers.

Adding to his woes were energy deployment issues during the race, despite Honda's rebuttal of his claim that the turbo, replaced before the race, was defective. Both Aston Martins started from the pit lane, and Alonso experienced deployment problems, particularly after the virtual safety car periods. "I still had a lot of problems in the race," he explained, "less on the turbo side, but it was a lot of problems on deployment." He noted frustration with the car's energy deployment, which seemed erratic and left him vulnerable on straights.

Alonso clarified that these deployment issues were persistent throughout the race, not just during VSCs, which cost him potential overtakes, including one on Sergio Perez. He described losing significant ground on straights, making overtaking nearly impossible. Despite a strong first stint on soft tyres, he lamented the difficulty of keeping up once behind other cars.

As the F1 season continues with the United States Grand Prix, Alonso and Aston Martin will be keen to resolve these power unit concerns to improve their competitive edge.