Analyzing Fernando Alonso’s Unexpected Spin in Practice Session

Formula 1 champion, Fernando Alonso, found himself perplexed after his spin during the second practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. The incident occurred at Suzuka’s Turn 8, leaving his Aston Martin beached in the gravel. This mishap led to a red-flag period in the session.

Breaking Down the Cause of Fernando Alonso’s Spin

Upon closer inspection, it appears that Alonso may have lost control due to a tire touching the grass on a particularly challenging section of the lap. The cars must slow down at the last of the ‘S’ corners, then accelerate through the constant-radius Nippon curve that follows.

Turn 8, the first Degner Curve, is more open than the second, and drivers aim to carry as much speed through there as possible. However, Alonso’s onboard footage shows him straying over the white line on approach, with his left-front wheel on the grass as he passed the 50-meter board.

By this point, the left-front was fully on the grass when he began to steer right. This movement unsettled the car’s rear end, causing Alonso to correct by jinking the wheel back to the left before steering right again. Unfortunately, this action caused his Aston Martin to miss the apex of the corner and continue onto the kerbs.

Whether a gust of wind played a role in this incident is uncertain, but all drivers reported experiencing a headwind through the ‘S’ curves during practice. On the run into the Degners, the wind would have been blowing from right to left, slightly towards the rear of the car.

Despite this setback, Alonso remains hopeful for the rest of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. He expressed optimism, stating, “I think we’re slightly more competitive than in China [he retired having started 13th],” implying a potential qualification for Q3 tomorrow.