Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll struggled to maintain their excellent early-season performance in qualifying at Baku’s high-speed street circuit.
Speed traces from Q3 indicated that neither driver gained top speed in Baku’s two DRS zones, and afterwards the pair confirmed that Aston Martin’s DRS was malfunctioning.
“I think we could have been a little bit better,” said Alonso, who qualified sixth a full second behind Ferrari’s polesitter Charles Leclerc.
“We had some issues in FP1 and also in qualifying with the DRS, which cost us a few tenths. Being so tight, I think in the standings it will make a difference.
“But, nevertheless, it’s only Friday. It’s a long weekend ahead of us. Another qualifying tomorrow, another race and then the race on Sunday. So yeah, plenty of opportunities so hopefully we can pick up …