Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson are set to start the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix from the pitlane this afternoon at Monza.
Parc ferme rules were breached on both cars, as Aston Martin opted to give Alonso fresh power unit parts – an MGU-K, a battery and a control electronics unit – having already exceeding his yearly allowance previously.
“Yesterday in Q1 we identified some abnormal behaviour (in the data) on some of the PU components of Fernando’s car,” an Aston Martin statement read. “This prevented Fernando from completing a final run in qualifying. We worked on the car overnight as a result and Fernando’s car will start the race from the pitlane.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull changed Lawson’s rear wing and tweaked his suspension set-up, as the New Zealander continues to get to grips with the RB22, having stood in for Isack Hadjar since the Frenchman injured his wrist in training over the summer break.
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images
After being impeded by Oscar Piastri in Q2 and qualifying down in 14th, Lawson had already been given extra engine parts, so would have started the race from the back of the grid anyway.
Alonso was supposed to line up in 18th after qualifying 21st, well off the pace of the Cadillacs, at a high-speed Monza track where the Honda-powered AMR26 was always expected to struggle – though he was hampered by the aforementioned power unit issue.
“We knew that this track, with Vegas it’s going to be the worst for us and the most challenging,” the two-time F1 world champion said.
“We lose a lot, there’s a big deficit on the straights. The data is there for everyone. We are not blind, we see the same data as you guys and we know that we need to work on the power. But we are trying to support each other and I think there are clear targets for next year.”
Additional reporting by Stuart Codling
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