Fernando Alonso blames upgraded Honda power unit for F1 Dutch GP sprint qualifying problems

Fernando Alonso has pointed the finger at his upgraded Honda power unit as a prime factor for his back-of-the-grid qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race.

Aston Martin made a step forward with a significant chassis upgrade last time out in Hungary, as Alonso was able to escape Q1 for the first time this year. 

However, at the next race weekend and with an improved Honda power unit, the Spaniard dropped to the back of the pack, with team-mate Lance Stroll also exiting in the first phase of qualifying.

Alonso was the last driver to set a meaningful time in SQ1 after locking his front brakes and taking a trip through the Turn 1 gravel when starting an earlier attempt. This left him hampered for the remainder of the quick-fire session.

"Free practice was more or less ok, but in qualifying, we had problems on the engine drivability," said Alonso. 

"It was pushing under braking, so it was difficult to stop the car sometimes because the engine was overdelivering. Then, apparently, the SLM [straight line mode] didn't work for me, so I could not open the rear wing. 

"A combination of both made the laps very tricky."

Not wanting to go too hard on Honda, Alonso was quick to add: "As I said, free practice felt ok, and I felt a step forward. 

"It's still very early days and [the PU] is probably a bit immature with all of the controls. It's a sprint weekend. On a normal weekend, we have three practice sessions to nail the package. Obviously, on a sprint, we need to deal with the situation in today's qualifying session and in the sprint race. We will try to understand a few things."