'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABfAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAIBBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDAQAEBREGIRMiMgEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABREAAgEFAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQRIzFC/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDIqMpjuJcalasXbMfdrSmDIIYMwQFvyQUe2u5iog1jjaZaV2Uz8UpRqoqTy4HqmZJpJrOzLnOpTwDtf//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has said that the team lost a couple of tenths in the 2023 Azerbaijan GP qualifying session due to DRS issues.
The British team did not have the best time in Baku, as Alonso qualified in P6, while his teammate Lance Stroll qualified P9, behind the McLaren of Lando Norris and AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda.
While speaking to F1.com in his post-qualification interview, Alonso said:
“I think … we could have been a little bit better. We had some issues in FP1 and also in qualifying with DRS, which cost us a few tenths. Yeah, being so tight in the standing will make a difference but nevertheless, it’s only Friday – it’s a long weekend ahead of us (with) Sprint qualifying tomorrow and another race and another race on Sunday. So yeah, plenty of opportunities, and hopefully we can recover a few places."
“I think it’s going to be exciting" - Fernando Alonso
The Spaniard is excited by the prospect of having another shot at qualifying on Saturday and then the sprint race. Alonso said:
“I think it’s going to be exciting. Waking up tomorrow and knowing that you go in the car and it’s Q1 already – so there is no warm-up, there is no practice, so we have to be ready for that. But, yeah, I like the challenge."
Lance Stroll also agreed with Alonso about the new format and said that he also suffered DRS issues:
“I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the format of the weekend. I thought it was exciting to get back into it this morning and this afternoon, so, yeah, looking forward to some action tomorrow. Yeah, it was close. The car felt good, but we had some DRS issues, Q3 especially I didn’t have DRS, so that cost some time."
He continued:
"It’s just free lap time down the straights, so that’s frustrating. We just have to sort that out for the race. But, yeah, a little night’s sleep and straight back into qualifying tomorrow morning. So I’m looking forward to some more fast laps.”
It will be interesting to see if Alonso and Stroll continue to have DRS issues throughout the weekend, as park ferme is closed and teams are not allowed to tinker much with the car. They will hope that the issue does not hamper their progress during the sprint and main race on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
