Also in Saudi Arabia, Aston Martin showed the same trend that had already been witnessed in the first GP in Bahrain, with an AMR24 more effective on a single lap than on a long distance. In qualifying, in fact, Alonso managed to achieve an excellent fourth place behind only two Red Bulls and Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, while putting both the McLarens and the Mercedes behind him.
A result that the Spaniard was then unable to confirm in the race, where the greater competitiveness of the MCL38 over long distances emerged more clearly. On the flying lap, in fact, Aston Martin was able to find a good balance between top speed and cornering competitiveness, proving to be very effective throughout the entire lap, particularly in high-speed corners where, although it is not levels of Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, has shown tangible steps forward compared to last season.
It is precisely the theme of balance that made the difference in qualifying: Aston managed to show a good level of competitiveness in several areas of the track, unlike McLaren and Mercedes, who made specific areas their strong point . The Woking team suffered from poor top speed on the straights but proved effective in the fast sections, while the exact opposite occurred for the Brackley team.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
However, in the race the situation changed radically, because the issue that had put McLaren in difficulty on the flying lap eased in the race, putting Aston Martin's fourth place in serious danger. The interesting aspect is that the problems, however, were not limited only to the ascent of the MCL38, but also to some difficulties shown by the AMR24 in the first laps.
In fact, in the first laps of the race, both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll immediately reported difficulties in switching on the tyres, so much so that the Spaniard was almost immediately overtaken by Oscar Piastri. This condition also gave rise to the accident of the Canadian who, in an attempt to push to defend himself from the opponents behind him, pushed too hard and touched the inside wall of turn 22, generating an accident which led him to end his racing in the barriers.
A topic also addressed by the Team Principal at the end of the Grand Prix: “At the start of the race we were in difficulty with both cars. I don't know if you could see it. Both cars, in the first five or six laps on the mediums, were really in difficulty. Fernando was also passed by Oscar Piastri and Lance had the whole group behind him. We therefore need to understand what happened. And they really had to push to keep up. It's something we need to understand well,” explained Mike Krack, noting that the reason that led to these difficulties is not yet clear. To be honest,
That initial overtaking immediately made Alonso understand that the race in Saudi Arabia would not be an easy one, even if the Asturian was then able to keep Russell's Mercedes behind him, which could count on an advantage in terms of considerable top speed.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“I quickly realized that it would be a difficult race. When Oscar passed me, I think Nico [Hulkenberg] was behind me. But George overtook Nico and, yes, they were coming so fast, even the Mercedes, that I thought: “Okay, this is going to be a difficult race.” But yes, we managed to keep George behind us throughout the race. And it was good,” said the Aston Martin driver.
Similarly to what was seen in the first stint on the medium tyres, Alonso also struggled on the hard tyre, so much so that a change in tactics with a possible move to “Plan B” was also hypothesized. However, given the race situation, another stop would have definitively put an end to the hopes of bringing home a good result, as demonstrated by Norris and Hamilton, who remained out only in the hope of another Safety Car or a red flag in the most propitious moment. It is in fact good to keep in mind that the Silverstone team had maintained a new soft gear in view of the race, saved by making one less attempt in qualifying, so it seems logical to think that that additional set should have been part of the strategy designed by Aston Martin.
However, with such an early Safety Car, the hard became an obligatory choice, further highlighting the AMR24's difficulties in keeping up with its rivals. In fact, the long runs on Thursday had already shown worse indications than those of his closest rivals, with concerns then confirmed during the Grand Prix.
The fifth place finish is welcomed with satisfaction, but at Aston Martin it is now clear that a clear step forward is needed in long-distance management to face its opponents. Arabia's is a particular case, because the race scenarios and the fact that overtaking is complicated on this track helped to achieve a partly unexpected fifth place. On the contrary, in Bahrain, with a more regular race, the current limitations of the project emerged, leading Alonso to declare that there is still a lot of work to do to beat the competition.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“Yes, definitely happy. I'm happy with the race result in front of both Mercedes, a McLaren and a Ferrari is the best we can hope for at the moment. In the race we saw that we are still two or three tenths away from Mercedes and McLaren and perhaps a little more than Red Bull and Ferrari. While in qualifying we look like [essere] close enough. So yes, we have to continue working on the race pace,” said the Spaniard.
In the last 15 laps, Alonso almost entered qualifying mode, trying to lower his times to keep Russell, who had now reached the edge of the DRS zone, at a distance. At the end the Asturian was then able to pull away, but being able to keep the Briton beyond the second was fundamental, because with such long straights the risk would have been to offer a key assist to Mercedes to make the most of one of its strong points.
“We knew George was behind, he had good speed and we didn't want to put him in the DRS. So we tried to keep at least 1.5 to 1.0 seconds between them. And then it's always a question of understanding how much to manage and how much to push to get to the end. But I think he managed it like probably no one else can. From my point of view, he was always in control of the situation,” Krack added.
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