Alonso PU problems "luck of the draw"
Alonso PU problems "luck of the draw"
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has conceded that nothing other than "luck of the draw" is to blame for Fernando Alonso's persistent power unit problems this season.
Alonso retired from the Mexico City Grand Prix after a cylinder issue caused a terminal failure in his engine.
It was his fifth DNF of the season, with an electrical failure prior to the Austrian sprint race resulting in a failure to start.
“This was an engine issue and we don’t have the same people preparing an Esteban engine or a Fernando engine now," said Szafnauer. "They mix around.
READ MORE: Alpine make Gasly demand amid fear of race ban
“So although the probability is lower [of one driver suffering more], the probability of this happening isn’t zero, so it can happen. But it is lower to always happen on one side or the other."
Alonso struggles a BAR throwback
The plight of Alonso is nothing new to Szafnauer, however, with the Romanian-American experiencing the same predicament at BAR in 2004.
In that year, Jenson Button stormed to third in the championship while Takuma Sato suffered endless reliability issues.
“I remember when I was at Honda, I can’t remember how many engine failures Takuma Sato had – like 13 in a year – and Jenson Button had none, zero," Szfnauser added.
"The question always came up [of what the drivers were doing differently] but we couldn’t find anything to show that one side or the other.
“And at that point, the questions were always ‘Does Takuma drive it so much differently than Jenson that it always happens on his side?’.
“I think it was just the luck of the draw, so it’s the luck of the draw.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Adrian Newey: The life and career of Red Bull's motorsport Michelangelo
- 10 minutes ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
- 45 minutes ago
- 2
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- 1 hour ago
Talented young F1 prodigy set to make series DEBUT
- 2 hours ago
F1 champion reveals 'painful' contract clause that cost him HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
- 3 hours ago
F1 legend's ICONIC car put up for sale in UK
- Today 14:57
Related news
F1 boss delivers team SALE verdict with new targets set
F1 pundit slams 'EMBARRASSING' team and predicts driver exodus
F1 team announce shock RESIGNATION of two key figures
F1 team boss issues BRUTAL put down for star driver
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860