News Summary
- Aston Martin has confirmed a power-unit change for Fernando Alonso ahead of Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.
- Mike Krack said the decision was made in response to Alonso’s feedback, after the team failed to progress beyond Q1 at Marina Bay.
- Alonso qualified 16th with a 1:34.223, while teammate Lance Stroll finished 18th, leaving Aston Martin facing a difficult race.
Aston Martin has confirmed that Fernando Alonso will receive a different power unit for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, following the Spaniard’s elimination in Q1 and concerns he raised about the performance of his AMR26 at Marina Bay.
The two-time Formula 1 world champion finished 16th in Saturday’s qualifying session, recording a 1:34.223 and failing to advance to Q2. Teammate Lance Stroll also struggled, finishing 18th as neither Aston Martin reached the second qualifying segment.
Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer, acknowledged the team’s lack of competitiveness and confirmed that the decision to replace Alonso’s power unit was directly linked to feedback from the driver.
Aston Martin responds to Alonso’s concerns
Krack admitted that the British team had not demonstrated sufficient pace during qualifying, with both drivers eliminated in the opening segment.
“In qualifying, we didn’t have the pace needed to get through Q1. We will change Fernando’s power unit in response to his feedback,” Krack said.
The decision follows a difficult weekend for Aston Martin, which had hoped that Singapore’s slow-speed corners and technical layout would offer a more favourable opportunity for the AMR26.
Alonso had previously identified the circuit’s characteristics as potentially beneficial, but the team was unable to convert those expectations into a competitive qualifying performance.
The complete Singapore GP qualifying results show Alonso 16th and Stroll 18th, with Max Verstappen securing pole ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Alonso faces grid consequences after power-unit change
The power-unit replacement will affect Alonso’s preparations for Sunday’s race, although Aston Martin has not specified which individual components will be changed.
The final grid position will depend on the components installed and the application of the Formula 1 sporting regulations.
George Russell is another driver facing a major grid penalty in Singapore, with Mercedes already having exceeded its power-unit allocation.
Alonso’s change, however, is a separate decision taken by Aston Martin in response to the Spaniard’s feedback following qualifying.
The team will need to complete the installation and associated checks before Sunday’s Grand Prix, scheduled for 20:00 local time.
Krack expects difficult Singapore recovery race
Despite Aston Martin’s poor qualifying performance, Krack believes the team must remain prepared to take advantage of incidents and opportunities during Sunday’s race.
“We have a long race ahead of us tomorrow, where anything can happen,” Krack said.
“We need to prepare well and be ready to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way.”
The Singapore weekend has already featured multiple incidents, including heavy rain, a delayed sprint and several retirements.
As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported in its sprint coverage, nine drivers failed to finish Saturday’s shorter race, while Verstappen took victory ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc.
The updated Singapore GP schedule, including Sunday’s race time is available in GRANDE PRÊMIO, which follows the latest Formula 1 news throughout the Singapore GP weekend.
