Alonso in a state of confusion after his exit from the track: "I lost the car in a rather strange way"

Obviously Fernando Alonso is having a very complicated start to the season. After his two retirements in as many Grand Prix, in Australia and China, the Spaniard really wants to launch its championship in Japan…unfortunately, his weekend didn't get off to the best start this Friday. A few hours after a promising 7th place in Free Practice 1, the driver Aston Martin made another mistake in Free Practice 2. Halfway through the session, the Asturian went into the gravel at the Denger corners, at the start of the second sector, and found himself stuck in the gravel, prematurely ending his session.

A dramatic end to Fernando Alonso's day 😫

A small clip of the grass on entry to the first Degner Curve sends the Aston Martin into the gravel!#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/oQJArTdExB

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 4, 2025

At first glance, the Aston Martin's loss of control was caused by Fernando Alonso putting two wheels on the grass at the entrance to Denger 1. However, when he appeared before the media, the Spaniard did not know the reason for his excursion and could not find an explanation for the error. "I don't know, I have to look at the pictures, he confided to the official F1 channel. I lost the car in a pretty strange way, there was a lot of wind and gusts, and the car is very sensitive to that… but I don't know. Maybe I put a wheel in the grass or something. I'll try to avoid that tomorrow, but it's been a good day. It's an amazing circuit to drive, there's a great atmosphere with the fans. I hope we put on a great show for them [on Saturday].

Alonso still aims for Q3

At nearly 44 years old, Fernando Alonso is experiencing one of the worst starts to a Formula 1 season of his career, and this off-track accident in Japan doesn't bode well for the rest of the weekend. However, despite this latest error, the Spaniard remains optimistic: on the resurfaced Suzuka track, one of his favorite circuits, he believes he has what it takes to reach the top 10 in qualifying. “The grip is better and it’s very smooth, there are no more bumps in the first sector where it’s the most interesting part of the circuit with a lot of fast corners. It’s very fun and enjoyable to drive. (…) I think we’re slightly more competitive than in China, so hopefully we can reach Q3 [on Saturday].” 

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