The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola is proving to be a tough battle for Aston Martin. Despite bringing significant upgrades to their car, the team’s drivers, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, are not seeing the desired results.
After McLaren’s successful update package in Miami, Aston Martin, along with Ferrari, chose Imola for their first major upgrade push of 2024. Aston Martin’s new developments included a revamped floor, a new front wing, and a diffuser, all aimed at making their car more adaptable to different circuits.
However, the upgrades haven’t delivered the competitive edge the team hoped for. Lance Stroll qualified 13th, three tenths behind Daniel Ricciardo’s RB, who took 10th. Fernando Alonso faced even more challenges, ending up 19th after his team struggled to repair his car following a crash in FP3.
“Just not the day or the weekend we were hoping for with the upgrades we brought, not competitive enough,” Stroll said. “I think everything was working, it’s just not good enough, so we keep pushing. Other teams are looking competitive, and we are not competitive enough at the moment.”
Stroll elaborated on what the car was lacking: “Downforce, balance, some behavioral stuff that we have been dealing with all year. We have to keep bringing upgrades, keep putting downforce on the car, and making it quicker; that is the name of the game in Formula 1.”
Fernando Alonso explained that his car was heavily fuelled for multiple laps during Q1, affecting his lap time. This strategy was intended to provide more practice laps, but an undiagnosed issue forced him to pit, preventing him from setting a faster time towards the end of the session. “We started with fuel for the whole session, just to give me a little bit of laps and practice. I set the lap time at the very beginning when the car was heavy on fuel,” Alonso said. “And then when the car was light at the end and we put the last set of tyres, I had to box for an unknown problem. It was quite painful. I’m sorry for the mechanics because they deserved a little bit better after the job they have done. But yeah, one of those days that everything goes in the wrong place.”
Aston Martin’s woes at Imola showcase the harsh reality of Formula 1’s relentless competitive environment. Despite aggressive upgrades, the team finds themselves struggling to catch up with rivals. Both drivers and the technical team recognize the need for continuous improvement in their quest for better performance.
