Fernando Alonso says his sudden Q3 efficiency within the Qatar Grand Prix reveals why he was proper by no means to doubt himself amid Aston Martin’s latest struggles.
The Spaniard, who’s Method 1’s oldest driver, has endured a difficult run of races off the again of his squad’s backward step with a brand new flooring that arrived at america Grand Prix.
Its difficulties have left it because the eighth or ninth quickest workforce at instances, with considerations it might even slip behind the Sauber squad that has just lately delivered a step ahead with a brand new flooring.
However after a stronger-than-expected efficiency for Aston Martin in Qatar in comparison with latest outings, Alonso says that the result’s proof that latest difficulties have been extra in regards to the automobile than the driving.
“Clearly you could really feel aggressive infrequently, and I haven’t got doubts about myself,” he mentioned.
“I am in all probability overconfident in my skills [rather] than needing a consequence. However, yeah, it is good to have an excellent consequence, and I suppose for the workforce as properly, that they will nonetheless belief after we are aggressive.
“The automobile is responding properly, when we’re not aggressive and preventing for Q1 it is not that I grew to become gradual from day to nighttime. It is that the automobile is struggling, actually. So our feedback must be trusted.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures
Alonso mentioned there was no apparent clarification as to why Aston Martin had unleashed extra tempo in qualifying at Qatar, however suspects it might be one thing to do with the AMR24 being higher suited to the gentle tyres.
“It was sudden, completely sudden,” he mentioned. “We have been struggling for the final 4 or 5 months. Even [getting] out of Q1 is a problem now.
“And this weekend we appear a bit bit extra aggressive, however particularly now in tonight’s qualifying, I believe we did some set-up adjustments because the dash race, and I believe the automobile was higher now. Additionally, the purple tyre did assist the general grip of the automobile.
“[In sprint qualifying], we weren’t clearly, we had been eradicated, and we solely tried the medium in SQ1, SQ2. So I believe in quali, with the purple tyre, you understand, straight from Q1 we had been aggressive.”
Aston Martin has been making an attempt to resolve why it has not made progress with its automobile this season and has been experimenting with flooring philosophies in a bid to assist its understanding.
The Budapest-concept flooring it’s utilizing in Qatar is healthier suited to Losail’s high-speed calls for, and Alonso thinks it was important for the squad to point out not less than some indicators of promise earlier than the tip of the marketing campaign.
“It does assist for certain as a result of the workforce is rarely stopping working, even after we are ranging from the again,” he mentioned.
“There are loads of research, loads of studying, and loads of classes that we’re taking.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Pictures
“After the [sprint] race, we had been extra aggressive than earlier grand prix, however not in a contented place. We had been battling the low-speed understeer, high-speed oversteer.
“So the automobile was probably not collectively when it comes to low to excessive velocity. So we made some set-up adjustments.
“Now the automobile was higher. It reveals that there’s at all times a relentless work in looking for efficiency.
“In case you are preventing for podium or if you’re preventing for going out of Q1, I believe the workforce is at all times motivated. So it is not that we’d like the consequence to spice up everybody, however it’s going to at all times assist to be aggressive infrequently.”
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Jonathan Noble
Method 1
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin Racing
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