Aston Martin locked out the fourth row for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll closely matched. More importantly, the team made a big step forward in performance compared to Spain and Austria.
Fernando Alonso noted that the new parts and overnight adjustments have directly improved their performance, “Thanks to the new parts we are a little bit more competitive, we found pace overnight.
“We did a lot of changes to accommodate the new package and I think the result is good.”
Both Aston Martin drivers seemed to struggle for pace through the practice sessions, but feel that the car is now in a better window as they made Q3.
Following the qualifying session, the Spaniard commented on the “very low level of broadcasting” from FOM during Friday’s practice sessions after a short message was played out.
When asked over the radio on Friday, “Fernando, what would you say on car balance for that lap? Just to help the other car”, he responded cynically about the updates, saying “Uh. Yeah. Good luck.”
Debate is circling online on FOM’s responsibility to use driver/team radio effectively, and not to promote certain narratives.
The unpredictable weather changed the qualifying dynamics on Saturday afternoon, with Alonso finding an edge in the cooler conditions as the AMR24 fires its tyres up quickly.
With the heat expected to return tomorrow, however, the story could change.
“In Q1 when there are these mixed conditions of some drops of rain but still on the slicks, I think that’s a condition that normally we like and our car likes,” he explained.
“We put a lot of temperature on the tyre and it’s the opposite when it’s too hot, so let’s see tomorrow, it’s going to be a bigger challenge for us.”
Pleased with the car’s upgrades, both in terms of lap time and the feel of the car, Alonso explained that the car has a newfound grip and downforce that aids in tyre management.
“The lap time is showing that we are a little bit closer to the top teams and we are not having the struggles that we had in Barcelona or in Austria,” he noted.
“As a feeling behind the cockpit, you feel a little bit more grip, more downforce in the corners.”
“This has more benefits as well, better tyre degradation, all these kind of things, so definitely a step forward.”
Looking ahead to the race, he is cautiously optimistic.
“Obviously points are given on Sunday, not on Saturday, so we need to finish the job tomorrow,” he emphasised, highlighting that the team need to translate their qualifying performance into points on race day.
Alonso also spoke about the importance of the team to further understand the new package over the race distance as they try to find the right direction following very disappointing developments over the last 12 months.
“The more laps we do, the more we learn about the package. Yesterday was very interesting, today as well and I think tomorrow in the race we will benefit a lot,” he stated.
“The first two or three races when you introduce a new package are crucial to find the direction.
“The team did a very good job last night and we found performance today, let’s find more tomorrow. It was very much needed, so we are happy for that and happy for the team.”
