Alonso confuses Honda electronics by going flat through Pouhon!

©WRI2

Some things you just can't make up. Fernando Alonso's deployment issue in qualifying on Saturday was caused by the McLaren driver literally driving too fast for his Honda engine!

Honda's power unit deployment system is based on a throttle input algorithm which guesses where the car is located on the track, and deploys extra power accordingly.

When Alonso raced flat out for the very first time through Pouhon - a sweeping ultra fast double-left bend - on a hot qualifying lap in Q2, Honda's electronics were suddenly confused.

The deployment processors believed the car was still on the Liège downhill section, and therefore did not deploy the expected extra power as the McLaren exited Pouhon and sped towards Turn 12, the Fagnes chicane.

Alonso: 'McLaren first and second with more power'

Alonso immediately reacted on the radio, furiously yelling he had 'no power', and subsequently aborted the lap and failed to make the Q3 cut in the process.

Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa later confirmed that the deployment issue was indeed linked to the engine's control system.

"We set a segment to when we have the deployment, and normally that segment is divided by the throttle," he told Motorsport.com.

"Sometimes a driver is making a different operation, so that makes the system confused and we didn't have deployment at some certain area."

Honda said it will change the system's procedures in order to avoid a repeat of the problem. And to keep Fernando Alonso from driving faster than his engine can think!

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.