Honda confirm major Fernando Alonso change after 'investigation' call

Honda has confirmed it is to change Fernando Alonso's power unit ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, after he called for an investigation into problems encountered. 

The two-time champion qualified in 17th place on the road at Marina Bay, after finishing the Sprint race earlier in the day in 11th, with Aston Martin hopeful that the layout of the track could have suited its package with its tight, twisty nature.

Alonso was the first driver to fall in Q1, narrowly missing out to Gabriel Bortoleto's Audi by less than a tenth, but was due to start in 16th place once George Russell's back-of-the-grid penalty was applied. 

However, after his exit, Alonso, the 2010 Singapore winner, signalled that a possible penalty was a possibility, with Honda now confirming the change.

"I think on the engine, we had problems the whole day on the engine in the Sprint race, but also now it seems that we are losing a lot of time at the exit of the corners," Alonso noted to media, including RacingNews365. 

"So we need to check if the turbo is fine and if we need to change it and start from the back of the grid, we will do so. 

"You cannot predict when the engine will give up, and so unfortunately, we have this happening this weekend, and we seem to lose a lot on the exit of corners, a loss of power and momentum.

"So we need to investigate and know why. Only on the last run was it good, and it was my best lap. The first two laps were not clean, but we know that only the last lap counts, and the last lap was fine."

After qualifying, Honda's trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara confirmed the power unit change for Alonso. 

"Following Fernando’s feedback during qualifying, we have decided to replace the power unit overnight," he said.

"There is still a lot of work to complete before tomorrow’s race, but the team will remain focused on the task ahead and continue preparing for the grand prix.”