Fernando Alonso secured ninth position in qualifying for the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Despite this being Aston Martin’s first Q3 appearance of the season, Alonso expressed disappointment with the outcome.
Aston Martin has endured a challenging 2026 Formula 1 season. The team currently holds tenth place in the Constructors’ Championship with seven points. Fernando Alonso has scored all of these points.
The team has struggled with car development under the new 2026 regulations. Honda’s power unit, which Aston Martin uses, has shown a lack of both power and reliability this season.
The qualifying session at Autódromo José Carlos Pace was heavily rain-affected. It began with torrential rain, leading to an immediate red flag and a delay of almost 90 minutes.
As conditions improved, Alonso showcased his experience. He successfully navigated his Aston Martin through Q1 and Q2. This marked the team’s first entry into Q3 this season.
In Q3, Alonso was the first driver to switch to intermediate tyres. This strategic decision was made as the track at Interlagos began to dry.
Alonso stated he believed a top-five qualifying result could have been possible. He felt he did not fully optimise his Q3 performance.
“Yes, absolutely. I was first in the queue and I thought ‘ok, maybe gives us the possibility to be top four or five if the rain comes’. But the intensity was not as strong as we thought, so the weather held for two timed laps for everybody. Then second I didn’t optimise the Q3 at all. The first lap I had the tyres ice cold. And then on the second, I used a lot of deployment on lap one because I thought it was only one lap qualifying. I ended up in no-mans land. In the first lap I didn’t have the tyres ready and in the second I didn’t have the deployment ready, so I need to learn from this experience.”
His first Q3 lap was compromised by cold tyres. On his subsequent timed lap, he lacked energy deployment. This was due to an initial belief it would be a single-lap qualifying session.
Several drivers incurred grid penalties for the Grand Prix. These included George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Sergio Pérez.
Charles Leclerc received a 10-place grid penalty. This was for exceeding the permitted number of power unit components, specifically a new internal combustion engine.
Due to Leclerc’s penalty, Fernando Alonso will start the Brazilian Grand Prix from eighth position.
Alonso indicated a preference for wet conditions during the race. He believes this offers Aston Martin a better chance to score points. The team has struggled in dry conditions this weekend.
Lando Norris secured pole position for McLaren with a time of 1m27.470s. George Russell placed second, followed by Kimi Antonelli in third for Mercedes. Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, and Liam Lawson was fifth for Racing Bulls.
Nico Hulkenberg secured sixth for Audi. Isack Hadjar qualified seventh for Red Bull, ahead of Ollie Bearman in eighth for Haas. Fernando Alonso was ninth, and Alex Albon completed the top ten for Williams.
