Fernando Alonso retires from Chinese Grand Prix as season start goes from bad to worse
Brake issues for Fernando Alonso led to a "precautionary" retirement from the Chinese Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Fernando Alonso has been forced to retire from the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix after brake issues on the fourth lap of the race.
The Aston Martin driver reported that he had "no brakes" as smoke could be seen billowing from the rear of the AMR25. The Silverstone squad has confirmed that the stop was "precautionary."
"The team were managing an issue with rear brake temperatures, so had to make a precautionary stop and retire the car."
The Spanish driver is not having the best start to the season. The rain-soaked season-opener in Australia also ended in a retirement for Alonso after he crashed on lap 34.
Speaking to the media after qualifying 13th for the race at the Shanghai International Circuit, the 43-year-old stated:
"It wasn't the best Qualifying for us today and we missed out on the top 10 by one tenth. We had some difficulty with the out-lap traffic, but it was the same for everyone.
"We ended up making a few set-up changes to the car between the Sprint and Qualifying to try help us with improving tyre degradation for the race. We couldn't see any advantage today, but let's see if these changes have helped. I'm still hopeful for some opportunities tomorrow and we will try to score some points."
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Aston Martin trackside officer Mike Krack also commented:
"A strong Sprint this morning for both drivers – with Lance just missing out on a point after a great battle with Lando [Norris]. I think our qualification result this afternoon is just a reflection of our car pace right now. We made some set-up changes to both cars after the Sprint and both Lance and Fernando had pretty clean sessions.
"We saw in the Sprint this morning just how tough this track is on tyres so managing tyre degradation will be a major challenge tomorrow too. We will continue doing our homework tonight to see where we can improve for the race with the aim of progressing into the points."
Photos from Chinese GP - Race
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Sunday
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2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Sunday
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