Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll struggled to keep up their early-season performances in qualifying at the Baku High Speed ​​Street Circuit.

Speed ​​trajectories in Q3 showed that neither driver was able to achieve top speed in the two DRS sections of Baku before the duo confirmed that Aston Martin’s DRS had malfunctioned.

“I think we could have done a little better,” said Alonso, who was a full second behind Ferrari’s pole-sitter Charles Leclerc in sixth.

“We had some problems in qualifying in FP1 and DRS, which cost us a few tenths. So tight, I think in the standings it will make a difference.

“But, despite that, it’s only Friday. We’ve got a long weekend ahead. There’s a qualifying session tomorrow, another race, and then Sunday’s race. So, yeah, there’s a lot of chances, so hopefully we’ll Can get some spots.”

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team, after qualifying at Parc Ferme

Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures

Stroll confirmed he also didn’t have a working DRS system as he finished ninth, 1.4 seconds off pole.

“The car feels good, but we had some DRS issues,” the Canadian added. “Especially in Q3, I don’t have DRS, so it’s going to take some time.

“It’s just a free lap time on the straight, which is frustrating, but we’ve got to work on that for the race.”

Team principal Mike Krack believes the DRS issue is overshadowing Aston Martin’s true potential and is therefore confident both drivers can move up the grid once the gremlin issue is resolved.

“Fernando and Lance both played well today in challenging circumstances,” Clark said.

“The single practice session was very easy, but going into qualifying we had persistent DRS issues in both cars, which meant it was only working intermittently.

“Although it cost us some performance, we entered the third quarter fairly comfortably and the teams and drivers did a good job in a busy session of yellow and red flags.

“It’s possible we’ll be higher on the grid, but I think we’ll be able to fight for the points on Sunday and it’s a track to overtake.”