Revealed: The truth behind APXGP, Fernando Alonso and the Hungary red flag

Onboard footage from Fernando Alonso has shown he was parked up behind an unused APXGP car in parc fermé in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, after the red flags were brought out for Yuki Tsunoda.

With just over two minutes remaining in the session, it was quickly decided that the session would get going again for its final moments, with enough time theoretically available for the cars to drive an out-lap before another qualifying effort.

Fernando Alonso onboard shows him parking up behind APXGP car in Hungary parc fermé

But while it was initially thought Alonso was left angry at being instructed to park up in a ‘fake parc fermé’ behind the APXGP car before being allowed to continue, PlanetF1.com understands his frustration was only because he was unable to complete his final flying lap of the session on fresh tyres.

The footage, which has also been widely shared on social media, shows Alonso coming into the pit lane just after the red flags were brought out in Q3 for a significant crash for Tsunoda at Turn 5, launching off the ground and into the barriers.

But as Alonso entered the pit lane, he was directed into parc fermé, with the barriers having been put in place and the modified Formula 2 car for APXGP having already been placed there, with that car being used for filming the upcoming movie, F1 , due out next year. A ‘fake parc fermé’ for the APXGP car does not exist.

Alonso was running in the final sector as Tsunoda crashed, with the FIA sensors having registered a huge 68G impact after he landed in the barriers, going airborne and landing heavily before he was able to walk away relatively unscathed.

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The two-time World Champion aired his frustration in the pit lane after the session, however, as the red flags were thrown just as Alonso had rounded the penultimate corner, Turn 13, with Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll not far behind.

There is said to have been an understanding before that drivers which are already past an incident and in a final sector of a lap are allowed to complete it, though the FIA opted for a ‘safety first’ approach on this occasion, given the size of impact to the VCARB driver and the track map at the time the red flags came out showed that seven drivers were running in the first sector – meaning they would be passing the Japanese driver imminently, with only the two Aston Martins in the final sector.

Once in the pit lane, Alonso and Stroll were briefly held in parc fermé, with Alonso already climbing out of his car before being told he was allowed to drive on when the session was confirmed to be continuing.

Onboard footage showed him sitting back down in his AMR24 and setting himself up with the help of an Aston Martin engineer, before being wheeled backwards, away from the APXGP car with enough of a turning circle so he could then rejoin the pit lane.

Once the session restarted, however, neither would set an improved time in the final minutes of qualifying – Alonso not taking part due to not having another set of fresh tyres available, thus leading to his frustration because the timing of the red flag had halted his only meaningful fresh-tyre run of Q3.

Afterwards, Alonso was seen talking to an FIA official in an animated fashion as he made his feelings known surrounding the stoppage, with both himself and his team-mate having been close to completing laps before the session was halted.

Further footage showed the Aston Martin driver taking off his jacket and hat and discarding them on the ground before being handed his helmet to be weighed while still in discussion with the FIA, with the two-time World Champion having qualified seventh for the race.

Stroll finished 10th and Alonso 11th on Sunday, with Stroll having been allowed past his team-mate to try and challenge Tsunoda for ninth on the road, before not following a team order to allow Alonso back past before the chequered flag.

Alonso was unperturbed at this, though, due to the low stakes of the positions, saying after the race: “I didn’t care too much.

“It was one point for the team. You know, it doesn’t matter which car takes that point and I think he was trying until the last corner (to overtake Tsunoda, ed.). So yeah, I think it was the right thing to do.”

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