Fernando Alonso suffered a bizarre issue with his steering wheel during FP2 in Bahrain on Friday.
The Spaniard could only haul his Aston Martin up to P15, while his team-mate Lance Stroll managed a disappointing 19th-place finish.
Alonso reported a loss of power in his steering wheel earlier in the session, before it eventually fell off as he turned into the final corner.
After letting a McLaren past, Alonso tried to turn his wheel to the right as he prepared to begin a push lap, but was forced to go straight on at turn 14.
Alonso told his engineer Andrew Vizard: ‘Change the steering wheel, there’s a problem with the steering wheel. It’s switching off.’
After ending up in the run-off area, Alonso managed to re-attach the wheel, before lugging his AMR25 back into the pits.
Fernando Alonso suffered a bizarre problem during second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix
The veteran driver’s steering wheel popped out of place as he tried to turn into the final corner
The team then replaced parts of the steering system and sent Alonso back out on track to complete his practice programme.
Alonso has been uncharacteristically out-performed by his team-mate Stroll this season, who leads the veteran in the drivers’ standings by 10 points to none.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin sit seventh in the constructors’ standings, and look poised to endure another season in the midfield.
Alonso, 43, has another year left on his contract with the team. However, President of Honda Racing Koji Watanabe recently revealed that Aston Martin’s new engine partner will have some say in their driver lineup.
The Japanese manufacturers are set to return to the sport in 2026, when both Alonso and Stroll’s contracts expire.
Regarding Aston Martin’s driver lineup, Watanabe told the Japan Times last week: ‘We will continue to voice our opinions as Honda in deciding the drivers for 2026 and beyond.
‘Obviously, the team had the final say in deciding which drivers join the team. But the situation will be the same [as it was when Honda were provided engines to Red Bull] where we will have our say.’
