The factors that explain the step backwards of Fernando Alonso’s team after a spectacular start to the season with six podium finishes
The AMR23 has lost its advantage in degradation and the evolutions of its direct rivals have performed better. The performance of the car already depends too much on the circuit
In current Formula 1, everything develops at a dizzying pace. Teams evolve as fast as they can based on different variables: budget ceiling, availability of resources and strategies to face next year’s car. With the new regulations, F1 and the FIA sought to achieve maximum equality on the grid. And if it weren’t for Red Bull and Verstappenwho have broken all the schemes and already have ten victories in ten grand prix (two for Checo Pérez and the rest for Max), we would undoubtedly be before one of the most exciting championships in history. The great group has been compacted and Aston Martin has lost the advantage with which it began the season.
The team of Fernando Alonso is not in crisis. Three weeks ago, the Asturian was second on the podium in Canada and was less than 10″ behind Verstappen. And it is possible that in Hungary (July 21-23), the Asturian will shine again on the circuit that saw him triumph for the first time time in F1 (2003, with Renault). How do you then explain the decline in Austria (5th) and the drop to 7th place in Great Britain? In his own opinion alonso It is not due to a single factor, but to a cluster of them.
“It’s probably a bit of everything. Some teams have brought significant improvements lately. The characteristics of the circuit also play a role, Silverstone this is not one of the best for us, for the package we have. Neither is Austria. Also it is the first time we have a new construction on Pirelli tires and we have to analyze it. We saved a very difficult weekend and I hope that in Hungary we will be competitive again,” he says.
slowdown in performance
Silverstone’s AMR23 is not the same as Bahrain’s, nor are the cars that rival Aston Martin for best of the rest, assuming Red Bull plays in another league. Fernando Alonso’s car received a major update in Canada but also Ferrari, Mercedes and now McLaren have taken a step forward and are ready to stand up depending on the circuit. The Aston Martin car has had weak points since the beginning of the season, but the significant improvement in its direct opponents has exposed them and has put a stop to the streak of six podium finishes and the dream of victory 33 with which Alonso excited his fans.
“We are aware that we lack performance today compared to the first five races, it’s obvious and we all see it. But we are working on it. The World Cup is not a race, there are 22, our focus is on the long term,” Fernando stressed at Silverstone.
Mike Krackhead of Aston Martin, does not believe that all is lost and asks for calm to assess the new situation: “Some of our rivals have taken a leap and we have to see how much we have lost with the references or see if someone else joins. This is an analysis that you have to do and take emotions out of the equation. We have already had discussions with the drivers, Fernando has a lot of experience in this field and is helping us, and also Pedro de la Rosa, so I hope to find the right solution.” , points out.
“At Silverstone we didn’t have the pace we expected from Friday, we realized that this weekend was to limit damage. It’s important when you’re not strong to go home with points and we have relied on our strong areas, the start and the strategy”, summarized crack after the race
The causes
It is clear that Aston Martin is going to have to improve in several areas if it wants to continue aspiring to runner-up and more podiums for alonso. At the moment, the team and driver are third in the World Championship, although further from second in both cases. Mercedes, which placed Hamilton on the podium and Russell in the ‘top five’ this Sunday, now has 22 points over Lawrence Stroll’s team, while Fernando is 19 points behind Sergio Pérez, who overtook him in the last few laps, coming back from the 15th position.
On such a compact grid and with the current tendency to face the races at a single stop, it is essential to start well positioned. And the classification is one of the weaknesses of Alonso’s team. The two-time champion managed to be in the front row in Miami and Monaco, dropped to ninth place in Barcelona and started again well in Montreal (3rd), but in Austria he started seventh and this weekend in England he has repeated in ninth place, forced to face another defensive run.
The Aston Martin car was born with two main strengths, its versatility to be fast in any circumstance and tire management. With the new compound introduced by Pirelli from Silverstone, stiffer and more durable, the advantage of the AMR23 with degradation has been diluted and the car’s performance already depends too much on the circuit and the opponents on duty.
Mercedes completely switched from the W14, ditching the sidepod-less concept at Monaco. Ferrari took a big step in Austria and McLaren and Williams have done it in Great Britain. The order of the grid has changed significantly and given that at this point in the season all the teams have already begun to invest in their cars for the next one, it is possible that the ‘photo’ that we will see in the last two rounds before the summer , Hungary and Belgium, already give us a real approximation of how the championship can end.