“Too slow to matter” and the sense that fortune never falls their way
Fernando Alonso’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a grind. After qualifying 11th — ahead of the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton — the Aston Martin driver slipped to 15th at the flag and later vented that luck has been stacked against him throughout 2025. In his view, the chaotic opportunities that can shake up a race “only come along when the team is on form,” and right now Aston Martin isn’t.
In Baku, Alonso’s assessment was blunt: the car was simply “too slow to matter.” While the field around him jostled in DRS trains and strategy windows, Aston Martin lacked the raw pace to capitalise. The weekend underscored a season‑long theme — flashes of potential dimmed by a narrow operating window and inconsistency.
What went wrong in Azerbaijan
- Qualifying left him outside the top 10, narrowing strategy options.
- Race pace failed to unlock opportunities in traffic and DRS trains.
- Little fortune on a day when others stumbled — and Aston Martin couldn’t strike.
Alonso’s frustration is as much about trajectory as Baku itself. For the two‑time world champion, the next step is clear: find a setup and upgrade path that broadens the car’s pace across conditions — and finally invite luck to the party.
