Aston Martin F1 Targets AMR24 Flaws as Key Goal

Aston Martin F1 prioritises fixing the AMR24, with Fallows describing the effort as an ongoing and essential struggle.

In the trough of a challenging season, Aston Martin F1, like other teams, is relying on developments to its car to regain momentum during the latter half of the season.

This weekend in Budapest, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are testing both new and old parts on the AMR24 to gather comparative data. Has this approach been fruitful so far? This question was put to Technical Director Dan Fallows during a press conference.

“We’ve learned that it’s extremely hot and the track is quite busy with long stints, which we expected coming into this weekend. But yes, we’ve done a comparison between the cars with new parts. We’re very focused on achieving better balance and a more consistent car, so at this stage it’s all about data collection, after which we’ll go back, crunch the numbers, and see where we stand,” Fallows explained.

The team, based in Silverstone, showed improvement during its home race by scoring points with both cars, but the Hungaroring is expected to be less favourable to their car, as the British engineer admits.

“There are certainly tracks that suit us better than others. We saw this at Silverstone, for example, which played to our strengths. Tracks like this one, honestly, are not necessarily one of our strong points. So, we’re approaching the weekend trying to see what we can make of it, acknowledging these limitations, but really trying to achieve these gains on the car, to improve the balance characteristics, and to give the drivers what they need to perform on circuits like this one or Silverstone.”

On the fringes of the weekend, Fernando Alonso commented that he was struggling to find the right feel in his F1 car, finding it too unpredictable and thus difficult to drive. How does Fallows propose to remedy this issue while enhancing performance?

“These cars, under these regulations, are highly complex ground effect vehicles. They are very sensitive to variables such as ride height, ambient temperature, tyres, and everything else. This creates numerous challenges in determining where we want to add aerodynamic force or enhance the car’s performance. Simply adding downforce doesn’t guarantee everything will proceed smoothly. There’s always a characteristic of the aerodynamic package that comes into play. It’s about ensuring that as we increase performance, we don’t introduce instabilities or changes in characteristics. And I think we’ve seen that things generally tend to work as we expect, up to a point, but then they’re not always suitable for the driver or the car’s characteristics. So, it’s a constant struggle to try and enhance performance in both respects, actually.”

“Addressing these issues is the absolute objective for the second half of the 2024 season. We are working tirelessly on this matter. The parts we’ve brought here this weekend are the result of an enormous effort by the factory staff. They are really working hard. The lights never go off on the campus at the moment. This clearly shows that everyone is extremely motivated to make progress. But obviously, you know, it’s an ongoing process and we will continue until we have resolved our issues.”

Major Recruits to Elevate Performance?

Is it conceivable for Aston Martin F1 to shift focus to its 2025 single-seater if the current updates fail to yield significant improvements? Not necessarily, as Fallows reminds us, since the cars will be nearly identical next season.

“I believe that next year will be an evolution of this year. The rules are not changing for the next season. Therefore, everything we learn this year is useful for the next. And that’s really what we are focusing on. As I’ve mentioned, the key is to identify areas where we can gain the most performance from a car and tackle them. And if we think they will deliver the best lap time, those are the areas we concentrate on first.”

“And I think, you know, we are very fortunate with our drivers. They know very well what they need. And sometimes, that’s extremely helpful. That’s exactly what you expect from them. And we’ve asked them, what do they see as the priority? And how can we achieve it? It can sometimes be hard, when you have general balance characteristics, to determine what those priorities should be. But with their help, I think we have a good sense of what needs to be done.”

In recent weeks, the British team has notably strengthened with the arrivals of Bob Bell, Andy Cowell, and Enrico Cardile. Does this suggest that Aston Martin F1 now has all the elements in place to reach a new level?

“I think our team has grown very quickly and continues to develop. And as we move closer to our goal of winning races and championships, we can identify gaps in our expertise or areas where certain individuals might bring something to the table. And with the recent announcements of Andy Cowell and Enrico Cardile, these are people with significant experience. The fact that we are able to attract such talent to the team speaks, I think, to the exciting nature of this project. They can really see something in the potential of this project, and that’s why we are thrilled to have them with us.”

And who knows, Adrian Newey is still officially on the market…

“I’ve worked with Adrian for a long time. You know, he’s a great asset to any team. Who knows where he’ll end up.”