Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin’s recent double-points finish at the British Grand Prix marks a return to normalcy for the team after a challenging period in Formula 1.
Previously, Aston Martin had consistently scored points in the first six races of the championship. However, a major upgrade introduced during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix made their AMR24 car harder to handle. Consequently, the team struggled to score points in four out of the following five races, except for a notable double-points finish in Canada under variable weather conditions.
Despite the rain-affected nature of the British Grand Prix, where Aston Martin secured seventh and eighth places just miles from their Silverstone headquarters, the team’s performance indicated improvements likely due to recent upgrades. These included a new front wing and adjustments to the aerodynamics around their rear brake ducts.
Reflecting on the race, Alonso, who finished eighth, expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress, stating, “It was pretty good, I mean, the feeling was back to normality. We were the fifth, sixth fastest team. Nico [Hulkenberg] I think was very fast the whole weekend, but we could fight for points. Seventh and eighth, I think it’s more or less the positions we were in pre-Imola. We came back to our more natural position, so I’m happy for that.”
Alonso also highlighted improvements made after reassessing their approach following the Austrian Grand Prix, saying, “It has been better; after Austria we regrouped a little bit, we understood a couple of directions that maybe were not right. As I said, we’re happy to be back in the points, it felt more competitive.”
Looking ahead, Alonso expressed optimism about upcoming races in Hungary and Belgium, where new upgrades are planned. He aimed for Aston Martin to follow a trajectory similar to Mercedes this season or McLaren in 2023, hoping these improvements would elevate them closer to the top four teams. However, he cautioned against over-promising, citing the need to deliver tangible results without repeating past mistakes.
Team principal Mike Krack echoed Alonso’s cautious optimism, emphasizing the need to thoroughly analyze the data from the British Grand Prix before drawing conclusions. He pointed out the significant differences in track conditions between Austria and Silverstone, stressing the importance of understanding how new parts affect performance in varying environments.
“We need to first analyze because it was also not a normal race with the wet in between. We need to have a look,” Krack said. “The ranking is better than the previous two, we don’t have to be blind to see that, but we have to analyze if the performance is better.”
He emphasized the need to differentiate between race results driven by external conditions versus genuine performance gains from recent upgrades. Krack urged caution in interpreting race outcomes, highlighting the diverse challenges posed by different tracks and weather conditions.
In conclusion, while Aston Martin celebrates their return to competitive form at the British Grand Prix, both Alonso and Krack stressed the importance of methodical analysis and consistent improvement to sustain their momentum in upcoming races. They remain focused on proving their capability to deliver sustained performance upgrades without being swayed solely by immediate race results.
