Alonso outlines 'very stressful' element to US GP

Fernando Alonso expects a "very stressful" start to the United States Grand Prix, with only a single practice hour due to the Circuit of the Americas hosting the fourth sprint event of the F1 season.

With the paddock returning from a three-week break in the calendar, the Spaniard highlighted the "challenge" in going from two consecutive street tracks directly into a practice-shortened weekend in Austin.

At last year's trip to Texas, the two-time F1 champion was off the pace, failing to reach Q3 in either sprint or normal qualifying and retiring from the grand prix to end the weekend pointless.

Despite Lance Stroll's seventh-place result, it underlined the difficulties Aston Martin faced at the back end of the year. Having started 2023 well, the team's performance fell away, as it done this term, too.

The Silverstone-based squad has increasingly struggled throughout 2024, slipping back from the leading quartet and into the clutches of the midfield.

However, Alonso has enjoyed fine recent form, following his own mid-season slump. The 43-year-old finished sixth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix before another strong all-round performance in Marina Bay.

But with widespread upgrades expected across the F1 field in Austin, Alonso remains cautiously optimistic about his chances of building on his pre-Autumn break results.

When asked if he felt Aston Martin was in a better place heading to Austin than it was a year ago, Alonso told media including RacingNews365: "I hope so.

"Obviously the challenge in Austin is that we come from two street circuits, Baku and Singapore.

"We go there, we have some upgrades for a lot of the teams, and then we have only FP1, and then we go to a sprint.

"So [I'm] looking forward to having a good Austin, but at the same time, I anticipate a very stressful FP1 and decisions into quali[fying]."