ANALYSIS: Alonso ends a disastrous weekend with the fastest race lap

Despite Aston Martin's disastrous showing at the Austrian Grand Prix, it was its Spanish driver Fernando Alonso to post the fastest race lap in the 71-lap Spielberg round.

P15 in qualifying and a P18 in the race: things went just as badly for Fernando Alonso in the Austrian Grand Prix as they did in Saturday's Sprint. Aston Martin's form is in the doldrums, and the bigger issue is that the Silverstone-based outfit does not seem able to find a way out of the crisis.

"I don't really have anything to say about a situation where we're fighting for P16 with two laps to go," said Fernando Alonso after being forced wide by Nico Hulkenberg on the uphill hairpin in the Sprint race. "I don't even care about a position so far back. He can have it!"

After the first eleven races in 2023, the 42-year-old had already scored six podiums. His best result so far in 2024 is a P5 in Saudi Arabia, and his last Top Ten finish came in Canada.

The poor pace of the AMR23 came as no surprise to the former champion, and the alternative three-stop strategy did not bring the desired success. Alonso eventually saw the chequered flag one lap down in P18. Apart from Lando Norris who registered a DNF, the only driver who came in behind him was Logan Sargeant.

"If you're not fast enough, 71 laps is a very long race," said Alonso. "The balance was slightly better than in the Sprint, but not enough. We have to understand that, we are clearly not fast enough, not competitive enough."

The two-time world champion was at least able to record one success in Spielberg: on Lap 70, he pitted again for fresh soft tyres and set the fastest race lap - his second of this Formula 1 season. However, he does not earn the extra point as he finished outside the Top Ten.

"I might as well answer your questions about Silverstone qualifying now," said the two-time world champion with grim humor on Saturday, after booking a lowly P15 on the grid. "I expected it, and Silverstone will be the same." And unfortunately, that will be in his team's home race - the Silverstone Circuit is less than ten minutes by car from the Aston Martin factory.

So far this season, seven drivers have claimed the fastest race lap. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have set the quickest race lap twice apiece. Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Lando Norris have recorded the fastest race lap once apiece.