Fernando Alonso said yesterday, in no uncertain terms, that Honda's reliability issues were 'completely unacceptable'.

Well he just went from the frying pan and into the fire this morning on his first lap of free practice.

The Spanish driver was certainly hoping for more than just a few corners of running  in the first session for his home Grand Prix.

Alas, trouble hit the McLaren-Honda at the outset.

Alonso had just gone at to join the proceedings when he stopped at the exit of Turn 3 in a cloud of smoke and liquid pouring out of the back end of his McLaren MCL32!

A replay showed that the Spaniard had spun on his approach, probably as a result of another dismal failure of the Honda power unit.

Alonso is still within his four-unit allocation with regard to his power unit, which is the one that was used in Australia, China and in Bahrain practice. A subsequent engine change would therefore still keep him away from the penalty box.

The two-time world champion said yesterday that he would decide his future in September. He may make up his mind a lot sooner...

Win the ULTIMATE TRACKDAY with F1i.com!

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Kirkwood beats Palou to claim Arlington IndyCar glory

Kyle Kirkwood delivered a masterpiece on Sunday in the shadows of AT&T Stadium, proving that…

5 mins ago

‘A horror show’: Wolff links Verstappen’s attacks to Red Bull’s woes

While Max Verstappen continues to wage a verbal war against Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, Mercedes…

58 mins ago

F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

The Pre-Race Casualty Ward The Chinese Grand Prix generated an overflow of drama before the…

2 hours ago

Bearman’s first lap Chinese GP fright: ‘I’m lucky to be standing here’

Oliver Bearman delivered a stunning recovery drive at the Chinese Grand Prix – a performance…

3 hours ago

Alonso lost feel in limbs mid-race as crisis deepens at Aston Martin

Last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix was the scene of another crisis for Aston Martin, with…

4 hours ago

Team Talk – Sunday afternoon in Shanghai

  Pirelli Dario Marrafuschi – Pirelli Motorsport Director 'Firstly, I would like to congratulate Kimi…

17 hours ago