Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz will start the sprint race for the Dutch Grand Prix from the pit lane. Both drivers had setup changes made to their cars under parc fermé conditions, which mandates a start from the pit lane rather than their grid positions.
Aston Martin opted for the changes on Alonso’s car following a problematic sprint qualifying session on Friday. The team confirmed it had fixed an issue with the straight-line mode on the AMR26 which had not been available to the driver.
This problem with the low-drag active aerodynamics meant Alonso had a significant pace deficit on the straights. He qualified last for the sprint, half a second slower than the next car. The pit lane start allows the team to apply fixes and adjustments.
Williams also decided to break parc fermé for Sainz, citing a desire to gather more data for the remainder of the weekend. Sainz had a difficult Friday, which included several off-track excursions during practice that caused bodywork damage to his car.
The team was forced to fit older, sub-optimal components, which compromised the car’s aerodynamic efficiency. Struggling with balance, Sainz was eliminated in SQ1, qualifying in 18th position. The team has made significant suspension revisions overnight.
The decision relegates both Spanish drivers to the back for the 24-lap sprint race at Zandvoort. George Russell will start the race from pole position for Mercedes, with Lando Norris alongside him on the front row for McLaren.
The sprint race is the first of its kind to be held at the Dutch Grand Prix, which is also the final edition of the event under its current contract with Formula 1.
