Aston’s Alonso and Stroll to start Sao Paulo Sprint from pitlane

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Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will start Saturday's sprint race at Interlagos from the pitlane after Aston Martin made substantial changes to their cars following a difficult sprint qualifying session.

Both drivers struggled for pace on Friday, with Alonso qualifying 16th and Stroll 19th, prompting the team to overhaul their setups to focus on the main race.

The FIA confirmed that Aston Martin had changed both the bodywork and suspension setups of Alonso's and Stroll’s cars, which under parc fermé rules mandates that they start from the pitlane.

Furthermore, Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu, who qualified last for Saturday’s sprint, has also had adjustments made to his car’s suspension setup and will line up behind the Aston Martins at the pit exit.

Reflecting after Friday’s running on his prospects for the sprint, Alonso had already hinted that the sprint would not be a priority, calling it “useless” given the limited points on offer for the back markers in a short 24-lap event.

Read also: Alonso’s 400th race marred by brake issue in Mexico

“The sprint for us really means nothing, as there are only eight cars scoring points,” commented the two-time world champion, quoted by Motorsport.com. “And even if you are eighth or seventh, you score one point or two. So just the format doesn’t reward anything to be fast on Friday night and Saturday.”

Alonso suggested that the team’s emphasis is firmly on Sunday’s main race.

"For us there's much more focus on Sunday, so that's the way we treat the sprint weekends. A little bit useless until Saturday afternoon. And it's the case on this one as well."

Aston Martin trialed various setups in Friday’s sole practice session, which was another factor behind the team’s muted performance in sprint qualifying.

Alonso confirmed that the changes made were intentionally geared toward Sunday, even though they came at the expense of the AMR24’s single-lap speed.

“We didn’t have the pace in qualifying,” Alonso said. “We made some changes also after FP1 that we knew were maybe detrimental to the pace of the car.

“But we had to keep ourselves focused on Sunday more than Saturday, so for us, the sprint is more a free practice.”

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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.