Aston Martin have definitely been the most ambitious team in Formula One in the past few years. However, ambition has not always led to success.
The team was poised for success once the team formerly known as Force India was taken over by Lawrence Stroll and his consortium to be rebranded as Racing Point onwards. Their highlight under that name was the 2020 season, when Stroll got one part of his vision, and the team won its first race under his leadership as Sergio Perez won the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
His teammate, Lance Stroll, also got 2 podiums that season, a career best. The Canadian driver also secured a memorable pole position at the Turkish Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso, Stroll’s current teammate, has dominated the Canadian in the past year.
That being said, both drivers are down compared to last season as the car has not been as competitive as it was in the first 8 races of 2023 regarding race pace.
Alonso has failed to fight for regular podiums on a consistent basis, and has usually been between fifth to seventh place so far in 2024. While this may be decent for a midfield team, this goes against the vision that Lawrence Stroll had when he took over the team.
While Alonso’s fall has been significant, Stroll’s drop has been greater. While he used to fight for consistent points early in 2023, that is even now a struggle, as he’s fighting the second half of the grid far too often, with Suzuka a glaring example. It’s 31-9 in Alonso’s favour so far.
Stroll took the time to address how his car is currently faring. The team consistently slides down the order in races due to lacking speed on full tanks and working through their tyres quicker than the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.
“I think we’re not bad, we’re making progress. We seem to be a bit stronger on a Saturday than a Sunday.
“And then on Sundays, maybe [others cars have] a little less deg. It’s a long season ahead.
“We’re going to bring an upgrade and try to be a little bit quicker every weekend. But yeah, we can fight.”
The car seems quick over a lap, as Alonso can rank in the top 6 regularly at the end of quali.
However, the Canadian and the team are aware of the work that needs to be done to improve race pace.
“Race day is always important to have good pace and score points. So, something in the middle, I guess.”
Aston Martin sits on 40 points as they tackle the Miami Grand Prix this weekend, 62 less than they had at this stage last year.
