Alonso on the brink
Fernando Alonso had a nightmarish first day at his home Grand Prix. The McLaren driver covered just a few metres in FP1 before dropping to the ground, and then just ten laps or so in FP2 to set the day's final time.
The Grand Prix events go by and look the same, unfortunately, for Fernando Alonso. Unable to start the Russian Grand Prix 15 days ago due to an engine problem, his Honda power unit betrayed him once again at the start of the first practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix, prompting a passionate reaction from the double world champion who immediately returned to his hotel before playing tennis with his physical trainer.
“It was my own decision,” he said about his getaway between the two sessions. “At least I could train a little. When I found out I would have to wait two hours before I could drive, I decided to do that. I haven’t had much time to train these past weeks,” he justified.
Once again, the Honda engine did not allow him to do much running this Friday, with only about ten laps completed by the end of the day: The limited show offered this afternoon is mainly due to the fact that we had to calibrate the new engine. Therefore, during the initial runs, the power was somewhat inconsistent. We were chasing time, so we fitted a new set of tires, but everything wasn’t calibrated.
Despite everything and against all odds, Alonso remains cautiously optimistic for the rest of the program: « When we added fuel and were in conditions similar to the others, we roughly achieved the lap times we were hoping for. I’m confident for tomorrow, when we put everything together we will be in a more or less competitive position and I hope we can be close to the others. »
From our special correspondent in Barcelona
