Aston Martin Eyes Revival in Vegas Showdown

Fernando Alonso highlights the challenges of Las Vegas as Aston Martin aims to end its points drought in this crucial weekend.

Fernando Alonso aims to return to the points this weekend in Las Vegas after several scoreless races for Aston Martin F1. He explains why the Las Vegas Strip circuit presents such an enjoyable challenge.

“It’s a difficult circuit, like all fast street tracks, such as Baku. Heavy braking, walls very close, and it’s very easy to make a mistake. It will be an interesting weekend—we haven’t scored points for several weekends, and it’s time to change that,” Alonso said.

Andy Cowell is also among Aston Martin’s recruits, and Alonso is pleased to see such names joining the project: “The team is always looking to the future, hiring good people and big names for what’s to come.”

“This is part of a process, and we fully support our leader. The team wants to win championships and races in the future, and we aim to shorten the timeline to become competitive. So we hope for a better 2025 season, obviously.”

Asked about the talent of Formula 1 rookies, Alonso explained why their preparation is now highly refined, though he highlighted the value of on-track testing, which was far less restricted in the 2000s. During his year as a test driver for Renault, he logged well over 20,000 kilometers behind the wheel.

The two-time world champion also pointed out that the focus on rookies sometimes overshadows impressive performances by other drivers: “Testing helps; they cover many kilometers in the cars, they drive older cars, and they have simulators to prepare and learn the circuits.”

“But they are very good; they’re doing very well. However, I think some more experienced teammates are performing better. The rookies are doing an extraordinary job, but there are times when experienced teammates are doing a much better job, and no one talks about it.”

Lance Stroll hopes to rediscover his strong form from 2023 this year: “I have good memories here; I finished fifth last year, which was great. It’s a challenging circuit with heavy braking zones. There’s little room for error, the walls are close, and it’s a real challenge in the cockpit.”

Alonso noted that for Aston Martin, the fewer corners there are, the faster the car will be—a sentiment Stroll agrees with: “I agree, but there are still 17. But they are short corners, and it’s cold, so these conditions could work in our favor.”

“It will be tough to get the tires into the right window because of all the long straights. Last year in qualifying, it took the entire out-lap or even two out-laps to make the tires work. I hope we can be more competitive this weekend.”