Alonso says McLaren to blame for hold-up
Fernando Alonso has blamed his McLaren team for Lewis Hamilton's failure to complete his final flying lap in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix
Championship leader Hamilton was unable to complete his final run after being forced to wait behind Alonso at their final stop for tyres.
Alonso was waved to leave the pits, but the Spaniard waited for some 10 more seconds before he got moving. Hamilton had to wait behind the Spaniard and then crossed the finish line when the time had run out.
Alonso went on to beat his teammate's time and seized pole position for tomorrow's race, but the Spaniard said he was not to blame for Hamilton's problems.
"The team always decides when I have to get moving," Alonso told Spanish reporters after qualifying.
"I know it looks that way because he lost the opportunity to do his lap, but even if I had left those five seconds earlier he wouldn't have made it anyway.
"I think the calculations were wrong. I'm sorry for him but I leave the pits when I'm told to."
Despite the McLaren front row, the mood seemed to be sombre at the British team, with team boss Ron Dennis looking angry when meeting his drivers at the weight bridge.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Mooted F1 points system like "putting a plaster on a big cut" - Ocon
Haas disputes Magnussen's Chinese GP F1 penalty was "justifiable"
The story of the 2011 Italian Grand Prix
Alonso laments "game of who can run less" in F1 sprint event practice
Alonso explains mid-race soft tyre strategy in F1 Chinese GP
Suzuka sensation redeemed Alonso, but his F1 future is complicated
McLaren needs to understand puzzling “up and down” F1 form - Piastri
McLaren "surprised" by China F1 race pace after sprint struggles
How Bruce McLaren's death shaped more than just his F1 team
The plot twist that gave Arrow McLaren’s Ward his first IndyCar win as team principal
Formula E’s new Gen3 Evo car breaks cover
The weekly reality check that has kept MotoGP hype off of Acosta so far in 2024
F2 veteran Ghiotto to make IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing at Barber
The F1 hero to zero dividing line that has never been so thin
How Stroll and Magnussen revealed the scale of F1’s racing and rules problems
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments