Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll battled the DRS overtaking setup on their new low-drag wing for the long straight in Baku all weekend.

The problem arose during Friday’s practice session and continued into this weekend’s two qualifying sessions, and while Alonso reported no problems during Saturday’s 17-lap sprint, he wasn’t entirely convinced by today’s grand prize The race problem has been completely resolved.

“That was the theme of our team this weekend, but it worked. I think I pressed it twice during the race and it did open, so I hope everything works out,” Alonso said.

“The third time I didn’t look in the mirror, so I’m not sure, but I’m sure the team is analyzing all the data available and if we have some adjustments to make, we have another chance before tomorrow’s race.

He added: “I don’t think we’re 100 per cent sure (it’s going to work in the game). We’ve had problems in every quarter, so I think the system will still be watertight tomorrow, but It is what it is.

“Even with DRS it seems to be hard to overtake when you’re following a car, so maybe that’s not going to be the key factor tomorrow. Even if it doesn’t work.”

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23 Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures

The DRS gremlin cost Alonso and Stroll lap times and dropped them to sixth and ninth respectively on the Grand Prix grid.

But even without it, Alonso concedes Aston Martin’s pace is not as impressive as it was in the first three rounds, losing out to Ferrari and at least one Mercedes in all races this weekend.

“I think the weekend overall was a bit worse than the first three races,” explained the two-time F1 world champion.

“We didn’t play well, (Saturday’s sprint fight) was the best example. P8 and P9 weren’t good enough, so we were a little worried about the game.

“But in the race, I guess I have to say I’m more optimistic now after the sprint because the car is going to be fast.

“I’m fast in the sprint, I’m as fast as a Ferrari and a Mercedes.

“I started on P6 instead of P8 so we still have a chance to finish the top five which would be ideal. If we can finish sixth on Saturday, Sunday on a tough weekend that would be very good news .”

Additional reporting by Oleg Karpov