The last two rounds saw Aston Martin achieve a double top ten thanks to Fernando Alonso, who took his AMR24 to points in both Baku and Singapore, two city tracks where not only certain characteristics of the car emerged, but also the qualities of the pilot.
The Spaniard made the difference, especially in Marina Bay, while in Baku, undoubtedly, the choice to exploit a very low set-up was beneficial. Although these last two GPs have seen the Silverstone team establish itself as the best in the mid-group area, it is clear that the results are far from those hoped for, especially keeping in mind the objectives set.
Over the last year, Aston Martin has moved to the new factory and, in recent weeks, work has been underway to calibrate the new wind tunnel, one of the jewels of the campus built by Lawrence Stroll to make all-round facilities available to the group. ‘avant-garde. An aspect that must be taken into account when analyzing the team’s path, but it is clear that this is enough to save a season that did not go the right way.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
I think we’re not where we want to be. Our aim was clearly to close the gap to the top four teams,” said Mike Krack, Team Principal Aston Martin.
“At the start of the season we knew we were around fifth place and the aim was to close the gap. And we didn’t succeed. Others have recovered more than we have. This is the reality and it is something we need to understand and address.”
The underlying problem is that some of the updates brought during the season did not work as hoped, so much so that Aston Martin, like other teams, had to retrace their steps. One of the first packages to not have worked was the one at Imola, which had created instability in the car, so much so that it was later dismantled in Great Britain by removing the floor.
“Our upgrades simply aren’t up to scratch and others upgrade or improve their cars more than we do. The most important thing is to understand. But we didn’t give up. So I think we’ll do a couple more updates to fix the problems we have now and then understanding these things will take us towards 2025,” added Krack.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Even the latest package did not give the desired results and, in Azerbaijan, Fernando Alonso took a step back once again at the bottom. A theme also experienced by other teams, such as Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and Racing Bulls, all of which took a step back due to the problems resulting from the new features, which did not make the car work as hoped.
“It’s something you see in many teams. I believe several teams are bringing updates, then removing some or all of them, reverting to a previous package. So the topic is not simple. I wish our position was different. But we are not and perhaps others have understood faster than us. We have to do self-criticism. The results we have here should not hide the fact that we are not where we would like to be.”
At the moment, the AMR24 mainly lacks two elements: the lack of absolute load and stability. The interesting aspect is that this instability was already glimpsed last year, when Aston tried to add pure load, which, however, generated imbalances in terms of general balance. An aspect that seems to have been repeated again this year: in fact, although the teams always try to improve the overall load of the car, on the other hand it is also important to mention how a balance must be sought between all the components of the car.
A practical example is Red Bull, which has lost the good characteristics of overall balance, an element that drivers have long complained about, because it does not allow them to drive in the best way, having to opt for a more cautious style in order to predict unexpected behavior of the car.
Aston Martin AMR24 technical detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
“At the start of the season we were on par with Mercedes for the first few races, then they managed to win some races. So it is possible to make substantial progress with these regulations if you manage to make the car stable and behave in the way the drivers want”, added Krack, underlining how it is no longer a sprint race for the simple addition of aerodynamic load, but rather a sort of marathon, in which we seek general stability.
“So, there is no longer the pure race to find the load that there was in the past, but it is more about obtaining stability, balance and obviously also the load”. A challenge that Aston Martin is trying to win by using the latest test sessions as a real test bench: Alonso has in fact used the free practice sessions after the summer break to collect data, with the aim of giving the team not only useful findings for the rest of the season but also, and above all, with a view to 2025.
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