Aston Martin AMR24 Testing

Aston Martin F1’s Swift Start with Alonso at the Helm

21/02/2024

Aston Martin F1 Team showcases a promising start to its testing phase, with the AMR24 performing impressively under Fernando Alonso’s control, indicating a strong season ahead.

Aston Martin F1 kicked off its testing with a diligent morning session in which the AMR24 appeared swift in the hands of Fernando Alonso. Team Principal Mike Krack elaborated on the activities of the first half-day.

“I think it was a good morning, a solid start, we had a significant program,” stated Krack. “Everything operated like clockwork right from the green light; we managed to complete the entire program, all the checks needed at the start of a season. We encountered no issues, hats off to the team and to all teams, as the cars are coming out with an impressive level of maturity.”

“Yes, it was good, we had driven at Silverstone, the circuit is different and we gathered different insights. It’s important to have a good feel and to be able to run without issues, so I’m pleased, the team did a great job.”

Now, Lance Stroll is behind the wheel, and Krack hopes the team will gather enough data for the remainder of the tests: “Lance will get a first impression, as promotional running is done with demonstration tires so it’s not the same. Lance didn’t drive last year so if he drives it will already be much better.”

“These days allow us to fill our toolbox, to know what we need to do with the car, because once competition starts, we can no longer experiment. We have race runs scheduled, and we will test reliability to make sure the car works. And then, we will test performance.”

“Correlation is key”

Krack confirms that verifying the correlation between the data recorded at the factory in the virtual world, and the data on track is crucial for the team.

“Correlation is key because we have very few tests these days, and testing outside a competitive environment is very limited. Not a single car went without an aero rakes, people want to check the correlation with the simulator and CFD. And as soon as this validation is done, we will see that it will continue with the adjustments.”

Aston Martin might bring developments during these three days of testing, as the car the team decided to bring to Bahrain for the tests has already changed.

“It’s something that’s on the agenda, from the moment we decide that the car is the one for the start of the season, we continue development, and we will have parts to test today, tomorrow, and the third day. The development race is fierce.”

When asked about transfers for 2025, the Luxembourger is pleased with promising discussions with Alonso: “The questions in the press conference were all about this. It’s good for the sport, for the fans, people love seeing transfers, but we are very happy with our drivers.”

“The conversations are not problematic, we discuss as adults and it’s good to see that we can discuss clearly. We want Fernando, we’ve always been clear, and he would like to stay. We’ll see what the next weeks bring but we are confident.”

Aston Martin AMR24 Testing. Aston Martin AMR24 Testing

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