Fernando Alonso reflects on Aston Martin’s Bahrain test, highlighting AMR25’s improvements while acknowledging the challenges faced in limited track time.
Alonso acknowledges that the three days of testing in Bahrain, which amounted to just a day and a half of running for him, were extremely brief. The Aston Martin F1 driver explains that his team also encountered setbacks that further reduced their available track time in Sakhir.
“It was short! Even with a normal program, it’s already short because it’s just a day and a half, which is unique for a world championship,” Alonso notes. “But for us, it was even shorter.”
“On the first day, we had telemetry issues, it rained on the second day, and on the third, we followed the normal program. But we lacked laps, even though that’s the case for everyone. I’m looking forward to Australia.”
When asked about the AMR25’s progress compared to its predecessor, the Spaniard remains cautious: “It’s difficult to comment; you have to switch from one car to another to see the differences. But it’s a better, faster car, and the data correlates well. We’re seeing good progress, even if it’s all relative since everyone is improving. We’ll see where we stand in Australia.”
In any case, these tests are an opportunity to establish operations at Aston Martin’s brand-new factory, including the new wind tunnel, where the team is developing its first car.
“It’s crucial for us to get everything in place, to synchronize everyone at the factory, and to ensure correlation with our wind tunnel for the first time. The 2026 regulations are coming quickly, and we need to make sure the whole team is ready to put in the same effort.”
Alonso was initially scheduled to run only in the morning but returned to the cockpit in the late afternoon when Lance Stroll, already unwell in the morning, felt sick again. The two-time world champion himself was suffering from a cold and admits he didn’t really pay attention to what was happening on track beyond his own team.
“I don’t really know. I haven’t watched the testing. After lunch, I went back to the hotel to relax, and I planned to return this evening for the meeting, so I know what we’re doing. I know Sainz was first yesterday, but I don’t know. I think the top four teams will maintain an advantage, especially at the start of the year, but let’s try to get closer.”
Lance Stroll, meanwhile, did his best to work despite being unwell: “Getting back to work in testing and feeling the new car is always an exciting time of the year.”
“A lot of effort has gone into the AMR25 over the winter to try to improve various characteristics of the car, so it was good to feel those changes for the first time this week.”
“You always learn a lot from these first moments in the car, and some things feel better, but it’s still very early, and it’s hard to say too much until we get to Melbourne. The final day of running was a bit disrupted because I wasn’t feeling well. I managed to do 34 laps this afternoon, but Fernando took over to finish the session.”
Andy Cowell, the team principal, outlined the team’s program and how it has prepared for the upcoming 2025 season: “Our first days of work with the AMR25 have been busy and productive.”
“We focused on learning about this car, the new aerodynamic package, checking all the systems, and collecting data from a wide range of tests and experiments.”
“The team put in a tremendous effort both on the ground in Bahrain and at the factory to get the car running and analyze all the data, which is already helping us build a picture of our situation.”
“The initial feedback from Lance and Fernando suggests that we have made progress in the car’s drivability, but we have also identified areas that could be improved and need more attention.”
“It’s very early to judge the progress we’ve made over the winter and where we stand compared to our competitors. We have focused on ourselves, keeping our heads down to gather the data and insights we need before racing begins in two weeks.”
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Aston Martin F1 Fine-Tunes AMR25 Ahead of New Season Aston Martin F1 Fine-Tunes AMR25 Ahead of New Season Aston Martin F1 Fine-Tunes AMR25 Ahead of New Season
