At the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Fernando Alonso experienced a challenging race weekend, culminating in a disappointing 11th-place finish. Despite starting from a promising fifth position on the grid, a combination of strategic missteps and unfortunate timing with safety car deployments hindered his performance.
The race took a downturn for Alonso when a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed following Esteban Ocon’s retirement. This timing adversely affected Alonso’s race strategy, leading to a loss of rhythm and positions on the track. Expressing his frustration over the team radio, Alonso remarked, “¡Soy el piloto con peor suerte del p*** mundo!” (“I’m the unluckiest driver in the f***ing world!”).
Later in the race, a full Safety Car allowed Alonso to pit for fresh tires, enabling him to recover some positions by overtaking four rivals in the closing laps. However, he ultimately finished just outside the points in 11th place. Alonso attributed the disappointing result to misfortune rather than a lack of pace, emphasizing that the car had the potential to finish in sixth or seventh place.
Despite the setbacks, Alonso acknowledged improvements in the Aston Martin AMR25, noting that while the car has become more competitive, it still exhibits unpredictable behavior at the limits. He highlighted the need for continued development to achieve consistent performance in future races.
As the team looks ahead to the next Grand Prix in Monaco, Alonso remains focused on building upon the progress made and overcoming the challenges faced at Imola.