Alonso Disheartened by F1 Season Start

Amid performance woes, Alonso voices concerns over team’s direction.

Fernando Alonso was questioned about Aston Martin F1’s performance in the first half of the season, and the two-time world champion admitted they were not at the level he had hoped for after a very successful 2023 season.

“A bit disappointed,” Alonso stated. “We can’t hide the fact that we are now competing with Williams, RB, and Alpine, and last year, we were aiming for the top four teams. Last year, we were targeting the top four teams. Today, they are out of reach, and we are just trying to defend against the guys behind.”

“Even at the start of the year. Especially in qualifying, we were always in the top five or six. So, we have a lot of work to do during the summer break and the second half of the year. We will not give up, but we need to work.”

Lance Stroll joins his teammate in acknowledging the team’s need to find more performance in the second half of the season: “We need to find more pace in the car to fight for higher positions.”

“Straight-line speed has been a problem for us in most races, we’ve been overtaken, we’ve struggled throughout the day. So that’s an area we need to work on.”

Alonso is nonetheless pleased to be able to enjoy the summer break after an intense month and a half: “The last six weeks have been intense. We’ve had five races and the Goodwood Festival in between, that’s six consecutive weekends. We definitely need a break.”

“Especially the mechanics, everyone traveling, with races following one another. It’s good to take a break now. The second part of the year will be very demanding. I hope we can learn from these last two races and come back stronger.”