MONZA, Italy -- Fernando Alonso has blamed the new tarmac at the Monza circuit for the long delay in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
Heavy rain throughout Saturday afternoon saw a long delay between the three qualifying segments. One problem during the two and a half hour break was standing water on the circuit, which can cause aquaplaning, something which caught out Romain Grosjean at the start of Q1.
Alonso says the new surface, laid on the iconic circuit ahead of this year's race, is the reason the session took so long to complete.
"I think the main straight was just too wet," Alonso said.