Fernando Alonso will start the Barcelona GP from the pit lane.

Fernando Alonso will start his ‘last’ Formula 1 race in Barcelona from the pit lane after Aston Martin made changes to his car.

The local hero was poised to line up last after a difficult qualifying session but a power unit change under parc ferme conditions means he’ll be absent from the Barcelona GP starting grid.

Aston Martin changes force Fernando Alonso to start from pit lane in Barcelona

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Both Alonso and Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll struggled through qualifying, with both drivers more than a second slower than Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac.

The team subsequently confirmed it had replaced the energy store and MGU-K on Alonso’s car, necessitating a pit lane start.

“Fernando will start today’s race from the pit lane due to a change of ESME and MGU-K,” the team announced in a statement issued to PlanetF1.com.

The control electronics unit has also been replaced.

Alonso has now used four of each element this season, exceeding his allocation which would typically come with a rear-of-grid penalty for the cumulative grid drops.

However, as the changes were made in parc ferme without permission, Alonso is instead required to start from the pit lane.

It is unlikely to have any meaningful impact on the veteran’s prospects given where Aston Martin’s pace has been throughout the weekend.

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Barcelona has been a benchmark circuit of sorts for teams due to the mix of corners types and long straights.

Alonso’s candid qualifying remarks highlighted the scale of the problem, with the two-time World Champion making clear he had arrived at the circuit expecting to be among the slowest cars on the grid.

Speaking after qualifying, Alonso lamented the performance of his Aston Martin, branding it the “worst car and worst engine” on the grid.

“I came here knowing that we are the last, and we are the last,” Alonso told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media.

“No surprises there.”

While the new power unit elements may provide some benefit, they offer little consolation heading into a race where Aston Martin is expected to struggle for pace.

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