Alonso to start 18th after engine issue in Mexico City qualifying
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 1, 2026
Alonso qualifying setback
Fernando Alonso will start 18th after a power unit problem cut short his Aston Martin qualifying session in Mexico City and left him frustrated at a result he called “beyond imagination.” He was on an early competitive Q1 lap when the team told him to stop the car in the stadium section, and he had briefly topped the timing charts before the problem ended his run. Aston Martin said a suspected water pressure issue tied to the ERS system forced him to stop in Q1, but Alonso said the issue likely could not have been fixed in the garage. His reaction was blunt. When asked what happened, he replied, “Engine,”. He later made clear how little he thought he could do with the setback from the back of the grid. Asked whether he could recover from 18th, he said, “Not from the back”. The timing made the blow worse because he had looked competitive before the car failed, and the short Q1 burst was enough to show a pace that never got a full chance to develop. Instead, the session ended with him stranded in the stadium section.
Aston Martin trouble
The qualifying failure fit into a difficult weekend for Aston Martin, which had already run into trouble earlier when reserve driver Jak Crawford’s FP1 session ended after the AMR-26 broke down on track. Alonso said the qualifying issue summed up Aston Martin’s “story of the year.” He also called it a missed chance, saying the team had lost “a big opportunity” because of the failure. The Mexico City circuit, he said, was less power-sensitive because it has fewer straights, but that did not save him from the problem that ended his session. His frustration came through in every answer after qualifying. A strong early lap turned into another lost opportunity, and the car that looked quick at the start of Q1 never got the chance to build on it.
Alonso race outlook
From 18th on the grid, Alonso said the race would be a tough climb because traffic and high temperatures would make overtaking difficult. He did not sound optimistic about a comeback, saying starting at the back left little chance of recovery on Sunday. Alonso’s own words after qualifying were short and sharp, and they reflected the scale of the setback. He said “Engine,” when asked what happened, then added “Not from the back” when asked about his prospects in the race. He also joked afterward that he was “heading straight to Brazil.” The remark landed as a release valve after a day that had already gone wrong well before the grid was set. For Aston Martin, the challenge now shifts from explaining the failure to surviving the consequences of it. Alonso will need a clean race and help from the chaos that often comes with the Mexico City Grand Prix if he is going to move forward.
