WATCH: Alonso hits the wall on his out lap as rain strikes Imola before the start of the Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso was forced to come back into his garage for a new front wing after he slid off the track on his out lap ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Spaniard – who won at Imola in 2005 – left his garage and was on his way round to his grid slot for the start of the race when he slid off the track and hit the wall at Tosa, after heavy rain hit the circuit some 45 minutes before the start of the race.

His Alpine sustained damaged to the nose but he managed to return to the pits under his own steam, where the team replaced the front wing on his A521.

It is the first time Alonso – who returned to Formula 1 this season after two years out of the sport – has driven this generation of F1 car in wet conditions.

The two-time champion starts today’s race from 15th on the grid.

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