Fernando Alonso's MYSTERIOUS team orders at Canadian Grand Prix EXPLAINED

Aston Martin

Alonso's MYSTERIOUS team orders at Canadian Grand Prix EXPLAINED

The Spaniard came second, beating out Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes

Lauren Sneath

Tuesday 20 June 2023 17:57

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Aston Martin has revealed the reason that Fernando Alonso was repeatedly asked to ‘lift and coast’ during the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard took home the silver trophy in Montreal, after an impressive run and a battle with Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes.

But during the race, the team made repeated and mysterious orders to Alonso to ‘lift and coast’, in order to not push his engine to the limit.

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Hamilton, though able to close the gap between him and Alonso significantly, could not quite make it past the Aston Martin before the chequered flag.

Krack: Fuel system issue did not materialise

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack explained the reason behind the orders, saying that their data had found a potential issue with Alonso’s car. Thankfully, this problem 'did not materialise in the end'.

Krack added: “We thought we had a problem with the fuel system. But we were not sure. So as a precaution we said the best thing is to save some fuel and to do lift and coast.”

Fernando Alonso took P2 in the Canadian Grand Prix

The team principal judged that helping Alonso to finish the race was the most important thing for the team, saying: “How much it costs us? It's difficult to judge. A few tenths, one or two per lap, maybe.

"It was a precautionary thing. But you can choose between not finishing or arriving with a bit more [fuel], so we wanted to be safe.”