SOCHI, Russia -- Fernando Alonso said it was "tough" to stomach his failure to start the Russian Grand Prix as Honda's engine woes continued in Sochi.
Alonso complained of a loss of power on his way to the grid and, despite working to fix the problem, he pulled up at the pit lane entry at the end of the formation lap. It is the second race in a row Honda has failed to start a race this year, with Stoffel Vandoorne the victim in Bahrain, and Alonso says it is difficult to keep enduring the same type of disappointing weekend.
"It's tough, every weekend is the same," Alonso said. "I'm not the boss of the team. I try to come here and drive as fast as I can and go back home."
It capped another dismal week for the McLaren's engine partner after Vandoorne was hit with a 15-place grid penalty for a wholescale power unit change on Friday.
When asked if Honda's current situation had become "unacceptable" after another weekend blighted by failures, Alonso said: "I don't know. That's probably more a question for the boss of the team and the McLaren group in general.. I'm just a driver, I come here, I drive as fast as I can. I help the team. They have to look at the bigger picture. I'm just a driver."
Alonso's attentions will briefly turn to his preparations for the Indy 500, with a private test planned at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 3. The Spaniard suggested it will be refreshing to test a different car to his F1 challenger.
"We are looking at the weather forecast at the moment, it is looking a little bit random for the next week. I think it's good to have some tests there, a completely different car. Let's see. I think my main focus, my dream, my life is Formula 1. Wherever you do between the weeks, we need to figure out how to improve Formula 1 and how to be up there in the podiums."