Fernando Alonso insisted that Aston Martin are "doing something really wrong" after missing out on the top 10 at Monza despite Kevin Magnussen's penalty. (More Sports News)
Alonso, who ended up outside the points for only the sixth time this season at the Italian Grand Prix, finished less than two tenths of a second behind the Dane's Haas.
Magnussen was handed a 10-second penalty after a collision with Alpine's Pierre Gasly, with the Spaniard and Williams' Alex Albon chasing hard to get within that margin.
However, Alonso's two-stop strategy saw him playing catch up after being jumped by the one-stopping Albon, with the 28-year-old finishing the race in ninth.
Alonso has scored in the past two races, while Aston Martin look assured of fifth in the constructors’ standings this season, being 40 points ahead of RB.
But Alonso couldn’t hide his frustration after the race at battling with cars lower down the field, having been fighting at the top end of the grid only 12 months ago.
“I hope we understand things that we are doing wrong, as definitely we are doing something really wrong and we get better for Baku,” Alonso said.
Alonso's team-mate, Lance Stroll, propped up the field after taking a third pit stop in an optimistic bid to deny anyone in the top 10 the fastest lap bonus point.
But their attention will now turn to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and should both Aston Martin's drivers score at least 14 points in Baku, they will become the 14th team to reach the 500-point mark in the history of Formula 1 (currently 486), also equalling Toro Rosso's record (500).
After Aston Martin's recent struggles, both Alonso and Stroll have hope that the team can entice former Red Bull designer Adrian Newey to the team after emerging as one of the front runners to claim his signature in recent weeks.
