Alonso: Q3 pace good enough for pole before hydraulics issue

Fernando Alonso says he just can't catch a break, the Alpine driver suggesting his pace in Q3 could have maybe landed him on pole without a hydraulics issue that thwarted his efforts.

Alonso concluded Saturday's final practice a promising fourth that augured well for this afternoon's qualifying session in Melbourne.

The Spaniard powered through the first two segments without any drama and had just set the best middle sector time on his first run in Q3 when his engine cut out on the entry to Albert Park's Turn 11.

With no engine braking, the Alpine and its hopeless driver veered off course into the gravel trap and into the barriers.

Damage to the A522 was fortunately limited but Alonso rued the mechanical failure and his inability to shake off his bad luck of late.

"The gearbox was not working anymore," he said. "The engine also switched off, power steering switched off. So I think there is something that we need to investigate when the car is back.

"It is unbelievable how unlucky we are, because 20 seconds later, maybe we were on pole if the car stops in Turn 1, instead of Turn 11. These races are difficult to explain."

On the one hand, Alonso's believes that because he has been the sole recipient of the team's misfortune, there is no fundamental problem lying under the skin of Alpine's A522.

• Australian GP Free Practice 3 - Results

But on the other, the two-time world champion is growing increasingly frustrated with the succession of setbacks.

"That's why I say it is a little bit unlucky, because if we have a reliability problem on both cars, then they are facing issues," he said. "It could be something that we need to fix.

"But it seems quite random. And it is quite random on my car and in the moments that we are fast.

"In Bahrain when we were P9 or P10 maybe you don't care if the car stops because it's only one point, but in Jeddah we were okay and today top two or top three was guaranteed I think, and it hurts."

Putting his annoyances aside, Alonso says that Alpine's hard work is bearing fruit and edging "closer and closer" to F1's front-runners.

"I think the car is getting better and better," he said. "We feel more confident. The team is working hard.

"I mean, maybe [it was] a surprise to fight for pole but not a surprise to be closer and closer to the leaders.

"I think yeah, it has been the best weekend for years for me, and it is so frustrating not to execute it at the end."

Alonso is set to start Sunday's Australian Grand Prix from P10 on the grid, two spots behind Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon who qualified P8.

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