The single-seater most observed in the first tests scheduled today in Montreal will be the Aston Martin. The team wants to quickly forget the Barcelona weekend, the first weekend of the season in which they were unable to aim for a podium finish.
On the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, the Silverstone team faces two challenges: to rediscover the role of second force held in the first six races of the season and to evaluate the expected leap forward with the full-bodied update package brought to Canada.
The engineers got their hands on the bellies, engine hood and above all underbody, three elements that could allow the AMR23 to take a decisive step forward.
Fernando Alonso smiles during the press conference in Montreal
Photo by: Motorsport Images
The big boss of the team, Lawrence Stroll, has set a far-reaching target for his home weekend, publicly declaring that he is aiming for two podium positions. Fernando Alonso threw water on the fire:
“We know Lawrence, his ambitions are very high, but we will try to make him happy and proud at his home Grand Prix. But personally the goal of him seems to me today a little too aggressive. At the beginning of the season we started with a completely new car concept for the team, and we discovered new things race after race. Now we will have some important updates available with which I hope we will be able to optimize the whole package”.
Although publicly no one seems to be in line with the goals set by Stroll sr., there is a certain optimism in the Aston Martin garage. At the moment no comparison tests are planned between the old and the new version of the AMR23, confirming the confidence the engineers have in the new package.
“I think it should be a good weekend for us – reiterated Alonso – but after Barcelona, I prefer to wait for feedback from the track before making a big decision. Even two weeks ago they had high expectations, but especially in the race we didn’t go as hoped. We will also have to evaluate the weather variable and act accordingly, but obviously we hope to go better than the Barcelona stage”.
The disappointment that came on the home weekend left its mark on Alonso, and even the catchphrase regarding his 33rd victory is starting to tire the Spaniard.
“I think we’ll be in a very competitive position throughout the year – explained Fernando – only in Barcelona we were off our usual race pace. But although the Montreal track should marry the characteristics of our single-seater better than Montmelò, I don’t think there will be any special chances for us to be able to get close to the Red Bulls. Monaco was probably the weekend in which we had the best chance of aiming for the coup, and it was only missing for those 50 thousandths of a delay that didn’t allow us to start from pole position”.
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