Aston Martin F1 reevaluates its performance after a surprisingly strong showing in Montreal, with new upgrades slated for Barcelona.
In Canada, Aston Martin F1 achieved its best weekend of the year in terms of points – Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finishing 6th and 7th.
The race pace of Aston Martin F1 also seemed much improved, although the final gap between Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen (17.5 seconds) remains significant after a safety car.
Like Mercedes F1, though less spectacularly, could Aston Martin F1 also be on the path to recovery? Are the updates finally delivering satisfaction?
Mike Krack, the team principal, however, refrains from any triumphalism today: Aston Martin F1 still has work to do…
“We witnessed a very tight fight for the victory.”
“Unfortunately, we were unable to challenge any of these contenders for the win, and that’s also a lesson we must take away. We secured a good result, with 14 points, but we were never in a position to challenge the guys in front of us. It’s very important that we stay focused and not get carried away by a few points or by our best point haul of the season.”
At least, is the AMR24 now better understood by Dan Fallows and his team of aerodynamicists?
“It would be premature to say we have understood everything,” responds Mike Krack.
“I think we still have a lot of work to do. But it’s clear that we made a step in the right direction this weekend. There are different and challenging tracks ahead, so we need to sit down and see what the best possible package is for the upcoming races, because they will be very intense.”
Nevertheless, Mike Krack remains optimistic: he believes Aston Martin F1 can emulate McLaren F1 or Mercedes F1 and join the fight for victories this year. It just takes the right development, and who knows…
“Yes, I believe so. I am convinced we can do it. The question you are going to ask me is when. Aerodynamic development, which is the main performance differentiator in F1, takes time. So, if you find something today on the floor or elsewhere, it will take many weeks before it hits the track.”
“But now, we face very intense races over the next four weeks. We have three races, so you are constantly rushing to bring in the parts, and it’s never fast enough. You have to be patient and, at each race, see what happens, optimize the package you have, and extract the maximum from what you have.”
“Because there’s no point in complaining that other parts are not yet here, we still have races to go.”
New Developments for Barcelona Again
Lance Stroll, on his part, has somewhat dampened the hopes of Aston Martin F1 fans.
For him, the team’s performances were due to the characteristics of the Montreal track, which emphasizes slower corners.
“The circuit was perfectly suited to our car. We are fast in a straight line, we don’t have too much aerodynamic downforce, we are efficient, we have good DRS, all these things, which are good for Canada.”
“The car may be even more challenging in Barcelona and Budapest and in these types of long corners. We benefited from a weekend where the car was very strong throughout. We will see what we can do in Barcelona, a very different circuit. I think we are addressing our issues, but it’s not an overnight change.”
Fortunately, updates are arriving – starting with the next Grand Prix in Spain.
Fernando Alonso is naturally happy to receive these new parts for his home GP!
“On paper, we are happier in Montreal than Barcelona, we thought that circuit would suit us better, but we’ll see if we have a good surprise. I know the team is also working very hard to bring new things to Barcelona, so it will be a very interesting weekend.”
“Let’s see if we can again score points with both cars, which is obviously what we are aiming for at the moment. The past few months have been very productive for us in terms of understanding the cars, so I am very confident.”
F1 Update: Aston Martin’s Surge, Real or Not?. F1 Update: Aston Martin’s Surge, Real or Not?
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