Aston Martin suffers a double retirement as Alonso reports an unusual power loss

Aston Martin’s weekend ends with neither car reaching the finish. Lance Stroll stops after seven laps and Fernando Alonso after twenty. For the Spaniard, the problem had appeared well before retirement: he describes an unusual loss of power on the straights after passing both Cadillacs on the opening lap.

Alonso estimates he was losing up to 1.5 seconds on the straights, more than his car’s usual deficit. He says there was no particular warning on his steering wheel. A water-pressure issue is mentioned for Stroll, but Alonso does not confirm that his own retirement had the same cause: the diagnosis still needs to be established.

Honda’s task is therefore to distinguish two things: the performance shortfall already known and the additional loss that appeared during the race. Alonso acknowledges the engine improvements made this season, while still considering them insufficient. In Baku, reliability prevented both drivers from continuing their races.