Sky Sports F1 pundit unimpressed by 'clumsy' veteran in Mexico

Simon Lazenby, Martin Brundle, Nico Rosberg, Sky F1 — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 pundit unimpressed by 'clumsy' veteran in Mexico

Martin Brundle shares thoughts on Fernando Alonso's mistake in Mexico

Anna Malyon

Monday 30 October 2023 10:42

Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle criticised Fernando Alonso's performance in the Mexican Grand Prix qualifying as "clumsy" following an uncharacteristic spin in Q1.

The Aston Martin driver made an error at turn three, leading to a spin and the subsequent late yellow flag in Q1.

This had an impact on Lando Norris, who had to abandon his flying lap, as well as his team-mate Lance Stroll, with both drivers finishing in the bottom five.

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This led pundits Brundle and David Croft to express their confusion at the former world champion for his unusual mistake.

“It was quite a clumsy little spin from Fernando Alonso, I must say," Brundle said.

To which Croft replied, “Not the sort of spin you would expect from a driver in his 374th Grand Prix.”

Fernando Alonso in his Aston Martin at the Mexico Grand Prix

Falling behind

Aston Martin are struggling to match their early season form. Lawrence Stroll's team have been overtaken in the drivers' championship by Mercedes, Ferrari and even McLaren.

Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on podium during the 2023 Formula 1 season

The Spaniard will be looking to avoid any more "clumsy" errors for the rest of the season as the team in green can't afford any further slip-ups.

However, since the revival of Mercedes and McLaren, Aston Martin have struggled to match the pace in the second half of the season.

The Silverstone-based team will now be focused on developing their 2024 car based on the data that Alonso and Stroll will collect in the remaining races of the 2023 season.