Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso has joked he won't race in Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix, claiming that he is 'heading straight to Brazil' after another difficult day at the track.

Having finished P14 in FP3 early on Saturday, it looked as though Alonso and the team could be in the hunt for points in Mexico City. However, nine minutes into qualifying, disaster struck.

After complaining of having 'no power' over his team radio, Alonso was later told by his team to park his car immediately, with Aston Martin having since confirmed that he suffered a suspected water pressure issue linked to the ERS system in his Honda power unit.

Alonso had already set a lap time, which saw him earn P18 for Sunday's race. However, when speaking to the media after the session, he said he wouldn't be occupying it come lights out.

Fernando Alonso: I'm heading straight to Brazil

"I'm heading straight to Brazil," Alonso told ESPN, via Motorsport LATAM.

The Spaniard certainly cut a frustrated figure after he was forced to retire early from qualifying, giving a blunt nine-word interview when speaking to F1TV.

Here is the exchange in full, which made Alonso's fury at the situation clear:

Interviewer: So frustrating, any idea what happened yet?

Alonso: Engine.

Interviewer: It looked like it was a big opportunity with this season how it's gone.

Alonso: It was.

Interviewer: The car's been looking good all weekend hasn't it, relatively?

Alonso: Correct.

Interviewer: I can sense the frustration, but looking ahead to tomorrow, can you still do something?

Alonso: No. Not from the back.

If his power unit issues were not frustrating enough, Alonso has also been given an official reprimand by the FIA for failing to replace the steering wheel after he left his car.