News Summary
- Fernando Alonso was ordered to stop his Aston Martin during Q1 of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying session, triggering a red flag.
- The Spaniard questioned the instruction, insisting his car had no damage, before stopping at Turn 14 with 11:07 remaining.
- Alonso was third in the provisional classification at the time, although several drivers had yet to complete representative flying laps.
Fernando Alonso was forced to stop his Aston Martin during the opening phase of qualifying for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday (31), triggering a red flag with 11 minutes and seven seconds remaining in Q1. The two-time Formula 1 world champion questioned the team’s instruction to stop, insisting that his car had suffered no damage before pulling off at Turn 14 of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Alonso had recorded a competitive lap and was running third in the provisional classification, behind Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri, when Aston Martin instructed him to abandon the session. However, several leading drivers had yet to complete their first flying laps, meaning the order did not represent the definitive competitive picture.
Alonso questions Aston Martin’s instruction over radio
The incident unfolded in the final sector of the circuit, as Alonso approached the stadium section.
Aston Martin instructed the Spaniard to stop his car, prompting an immediate response from the driver.
“I don’t have any damage, why should I stop?!” Alonso asked over the team radio.
The team repeated the instruction, telling him to stop the car.
Alonso questioned whether he should pull into the pit lane instead, explaining that he was already approaching the pit entry.
“You want to stop? I’m in the pit entry!” he replied.
Despite his objections, the Spaniard eventually stopped the AMR26 at Turn 14, where marshals attended to the stranded car.
Race Control displayed the red flag, suspending Q1 while the Aston Martin was recovered.
Alonso climbed out of the cockpit visibly frustrated by the interruption.
Aston Martin faces uncertainty after qualifying stoppage
The reason for Aston Martin’s instruction was not immediately clear.
Alonso’s radio messages indicated that he was unaware of any damage, but the team’s decision to stop the car suggests it had identified a concern that required him to abandon the session.
No technical explanation had been confirmed at the time of the incident.
The stoppage came during a weekend in which Aston Martin had struggled to match the pace of the leading teams.
Alonso finished 14th in final practice, 1.250s behind Lando Norris, while teammate Lance Stroll was 18th.
Norris led FP3 by just 0.001s over Andrea Kimi Antonelli, setting up a close qualifying battle between McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.
The red flag interrupted several drivers’ qualifying preparations, with the session scheduled to resume once Alonso’s car had been removed.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
