Why Alonso is fearing a 'torture' Monaco round

Fernando Alonso has suggested that the Monaco Grand Prix weekend will be “torture” if Aston Martin is unable to get on top of its concerns from Imola.

Alonso struggled during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend, with his weekend unravelling with a crash during FP3.

Further challenges during the event cemented a difficult weekend for the two-time world champion, at the circuit he famously triumphed at over Michael Schumacher 19 years ago.

With Monaco next on the schedule, it offers a chance for Alonso to recover his form after almost securing pole position at the venue last season.

However, track position is key around the venue due to the difficulty of overtaking, making Saturday's qualifying session arguably the most important of the year.

When asked if he anticipates a stronger weekend around the Monte Carlo streets next week, Alonso told media including RacingNews365: “I don’t know, it depends on the car. If the car doesn’t handle well in Monaco, it’s torture [trying] to go fast at that track.

“First of all, we need to set up the car properly, we need to find the maximum performance.

“We need to concentrate on Saturday, Sunday is like here [at Imola], no one will overtake.

“So the effort will be on Saturday like everyone else. Hopefully, that perfect lap comes next weekend.”

'Most boring race'

Alonso suffered a Q1 exit during qualifying before the team opted to make changes to the car and start from the pit lane in a bid to gather data.

A difficult race followed for the Spaniard, who took the chequered flag in 19th place.

“It was as predicted,” he said. “In this race, you only hope for a Safety Car or red flag that can mix up the race.

“It didn’t happen, so it was a little bit boring behind in traffic, trying different strategies with multiple pit stops to get some data for the team. But for the driver itself, there’s not much you can do.

“I felt the car was similar to the rest of the weekend but obviously the team has all of the sensors and all of the tools and car performance, so we have to see what the numbers say.”