After two mistakes in qualifying affected his race, Alonso started eighth on the grid and managed just one place in the race, finishing seventh behind teammate Lance Stroll.

It marks the second time in 2023 he has missed an Aston Martin podium, with Alonso pointing out: “We’re not keeping pace, that’s the biggest problem.

“It wasn’t because we were unlucky or with a different strategy or anything like that, I think we were slower compared to the Mercedes – soft slower, hard slower.

“We’re just focusing on the Alps, the AlphaTauris, and keeping up with Ferrari.

“In the end I think we outscored Ferrari this weekend because they only had Carlos (Sainz) to score. We dropped points at Mercedes but they did better this weekend. So let’s try one.”

Asked whether the team’s form had to do with the track or with upgrades brought in by rivals, Alonso admitted both played a role.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, weigh in

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

“I think the track is a little bit off for us,” he said.

“From FP1 we had a completely different setup than we expected, so we had to work a lot over the weekend to be happy with the car, which was a bit new for us.

“We are always happy with FP1 (this year) and here we have to work a little more.

“Then there was an upgrade from the others and I think they probably didn’t show their full potential in Monaco and Miami – on the street circuit. So here, what we saw today, maybe they were a little bit stronger.

“But I’m not worried. There will be better weekends and worse weekends and we’ll have a chance in Canada.”

Asked by Autosport whether Barcelona was a reality check after such a strong race, he said: “No, I don’t think so. I think in two weeks’ time we’ll see a completely different picture and hopefully we’ll be back with Red Bull as soon as possible. Team fight.”

He added: “I needed a good qualifying session. I regretted yesterday’s mistake and I thought all night that if I could rewind qualifying, things would have been different.

“I can’t do it yet, change the time! So I’m just thinking about Canada right now and I’ll use that drive to have a great weekend there.”