Alonso Finishes 11th, Criticizes Las Vegas GP Track

Fernando Alonso finished 11th at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday night, missing out on points for Aston Martin in a challenging race on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, and afterward sharply criticized the track surface and the event's place on the Formula 1 calendar.

The two-time world champion started seventh after a solid qualifying session in wet conditions, but early damage to his car caused him to drop positions, crossing the line in 13th before gaining two spots due to post-race disqualifications of the McLaren drivers. Alonso described the weekend as predictably tough, with Aston Martin lacking the pace to compete for top-10 finishes. "It was just a challenging weekend," he said. "No surprises, the race was also a challenge. We didn't have the pace to be in the points, and we needed a bit of speed. We were slow in the straights, so it was difficult to battle out there, but we tried, qualifying well."

His teammate, Lance Stroll, faced an even shorter outing, retiring on the opening lap after a collision at Turn 1 with Gabriel Bortoleto, who misjudged his braking and struck the Canadian's car. It marked Stroll's first retirement of the season. "I just got hit at the start...