On-track action during FP1 only lasted three minutes after a stoppage by Alpine's Pierre Gasly caused an early red flag.
Even after the Frenchman's stricken car was removed from the racetrack, the session remained on halt because of a synchronisation issue with the local CCTV camera circuit, which for safety reasons is required to be working properly so all on-track action can be monitored accurately.
Despite the local organisers' best efforts, the synchronisation problem did not get resolved until well after the session, when a backup solution was found to enable the rest of the running to go ahead.
Aston Martin driver Alonso felt the issue was embarrassing for the series as spectators only caught three minutes of action in FP1.
"The fans came very early to the circuit, and we were not able to run in FP1," Alonso said. "From time to time we are shooting in our feet as a sport, these things are a little bit embarrassing.
"We didn't have time because in FP1 the cameras of the circuit didn't work, and we didn't have a Plan B in this sport."
Source: Autosport