Alonso throws in the towel before the start: 'That will be zero points'

With a hefty series of updates, Aston Martin hoped to make a big step forward for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. In reality, the Imola Grand Prix looks set to turn out to be the worst in ages; Lance Stroll will start the race from 13th place, while colleague Fernando Alonso will start from the pit lane. The latter gives little hope for a good result.

The pit lane or the original 19th starting position; it probably makes little difference. After a dramatic qualifying run, Alonso's role was basically over. That is probably why Aston Martin decided to break the Parc Fermé rules and work on the Spaniard's car after qualifying.

Alonso commented during the Drivers Parade on his start from pitlane: "It's hard to overtake, but I think after Monaco this is the second most difficult circuit to overtake, so we don't expect any miracles. I think points are unfortunately out of reach, and we start from the pit lane. We just want to get some learning from the car, a different setup than yesterday, and try to get better prepared for Monaco."

So potentially Alonso will lose expensive points, while he is already well behind the top five in the championship. Last season's number four is already 50 points behind Carlos Sainz (fifth).