Fernando Alonso's principal advisor has indicated that the Aston Martin team is "going backwards."
The double world champion is suffering through a challenging weekend at Imola, marked by a significant crash during practice and a subsequent mechanical issue in Q1, relegating him to the back of the starting grid.
"When I went for my last attempt, the team called me and told me to stop because they saw something, which I still don't what it is," Alonso stated to DAZN post-qualifying. "They insisted on boxing."
Now 42, and having recently committed to the team for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Alonso acknowledges that his chances for the weekend are effectively finished.
"This is the second most difficult circuit for overtaking after Monaco," Alonso noted. "Even Singapore is less difficult."
"That's why I don't expect anything except finishing the race, going home and thinking about Monaco."
During his visit to Imola this weekend, Flavio Briatore, a long-standing advisor to Alonso and his former Renault boss, spoke to DAZN near the Aston Martin garage as the team worked on repairing Alonso's wrecked vehicle.
"I see Fernando looking good - the car not so much," Briatore commented outside the garage.
"It seems that the machine is not working well here," Briatore continued. "Instead of moving forward it seems like they are going backwards."
"From what I've seen so far, it seems that they have taken a step back. Many (car) improvements, yes, but sometimes it is better to have less improvements overall but more that work well."
