Photo Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team
On the eve of the Brazilian GP, Fernando Alonso analysed the moment that the Aston Martin team is experiencing, no longer competitive since the introduction of the developments. The Spaniard underlined how many possible configurations of the car will be tested, then speaking about the multiplicity of factors that can affect the competitiveness of a car.
After a surprising start to the season, after a difficult but positive 2022, the Aston Martin team is facing an extremely difficult final part of the season, with an AMR23 unable to grow on a par with its rivas and to reach the same performance levels expressed up until to the summer break, until the arrival of the technical innovations that made the car unrecognisable, causing it to lose its main characteristics and strengths.
For a few months, in fact, neither of the two drivers, whether Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll, have said they are particularly satisfied with the balance of the car. A situation which, in itself, does not help the drivers to have confidence in driving and to push as much as necessary to extract maximum performance and which, at times, is also extremely complicated by other problems, such as those with the brakes, accused by the team during FP1 in Texas.
Updates which, as mentioned, did not work properly and which, in an attempt to find the right solution to make the single-seater work and not obtain incorrect information for 2024, is leading and will lead the Silverstone team to carry out tests on the track “mixing” old and new technical solutions. Experiments, as mentioned, especially useful towards 2024 which have already been carried out in Texas and which, as admitted by Fernando Alonso himself on the eve of the Brazilian GP, will also be repeated at Interlagos.
“We have a lot of data obviously from the last two events, and we’ve been experimenting a little bit with the car and the set-up and the packages.
“I think we have some clear idea now, some better conclusions after the two events, which of the package and which parts of the package are working better in certain circuits in certain corners.
“For here, because it’s a sprint, we will try to commit to something from FP1 and stay with that, and that will be the best package for this circuit.”
An update package which, given the data, is not working but which, in the last few races, has shown that it has some potential, at least in specific conditions.
Peaks that were shown by Lance Stroll in Austin where, starting from the pits, he managed to get into the points. For this reason, the Asturian driver was asked if Aston’s problem is mainly linked to a setup issue.
The former Ferrari driver, in responding, spoke both about set-up and a series of other factors that can have important repercussions.
“I think these cars are very complex. So, there are a combination of things.
“One is the set-up that has to be optimised for each circuit. Then qualifying pace is extremely important with the tight grid as it is at the moment.”
“If you start on the front train of cars, you can follow that pace. If you start at the back, the traffic is hurting the downforce, the tires, the temperatures, all these kinds of things. So yeah, small details can make a huge difference.
“That is maybe also why we are not super concerned or panicking or anything like that, because we know that the peace is there, as we saw in Austin.
“We are not putting everything together on the weekend lately, but hopefully in Brazil, we have another chance.”
