Alonso and Lawson demoted to pitlane start at Italian GP after parc ferme breaches

Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson will start the Italian Grand Prix from the pitlane at Monza on Sunday after their respective teams breached parc ferme regulations ahead of the race.

Aston Martin triggered the rule by fitting Alonso with a new MGU-K, battery and control electronics unit overnight — components beyond his permitted yearly allowance — after engineers detected a problem during Q1. “Yesterday in Q1 we identified some abnormal behaviour on some of the PU components of Fernando’s car,” the team said in a statement. “This prevented Fernando from completing a final run in qualifying. We worked on the car overnight as a result and Fernando’s car will start the race from the pitlane.”

Alonso had already qualified a lowly 21st, well adrift of the Cadillacs, at a high-speed circuit where the Honda-powered AMR26 was always expected to struggle on the straights. He had been due to line up 18th following grid penalties applied to other drivers. The Spaniard acknowledged the scale of the challenge at Monza, drawing a direct comparison to the upcoming Las Vegas race. “We knew that this track, with Vegas, it’s going to be the worst for us and the most challenging,” the two-time world champion said. “We lose a lot, there’s a big deficit on the straights. We know that we need to work on the power. But we are trying to support each other and I think there are clear targets for next year.”

Red Bull’s breach involved changes to Lawson’s rear wing and suspension set-up. The New Zealander has been standing in for Isack Hadjar since the Frenchman injured his wrist in training during the summer break, and is still finding his feet with the RB22. Lawson had already been handed additional engine parts after being impeded by Oscar Piastri in Q2 and qualifying 14th, meaning a back-of-grid start was already his fate before the parc ferme infringement was confirmed.

Both drivers now face the additional challenge of working through the field from the pitlane, adding further complexity to what was already a difficult afternoon for their respective teams.