Fernando Alonso, a driver for the Aston Martin Formula 1 team, does not foresee a quick recovery in the team’s recent drop in competitiveness. Aston Martin started the last season as a strong contender, regularly finishing on the podium and challenging Red Bull. However, the team has struggled to maintain that level of performance and has dropped to fifth place. Despite introducing several upgrades in 2024, Aston Martin has failed to close the gap to the leading teams and ended up falling behind Red Bull.
Alonso has not been able to advance beyond the first qualifying session or score points since Aston Martin introduced a significant upgrade package at Imola. There are suspicions that the AMR24 car has become more difficult to drive. Alonso acknowledged that the recent races have been a wake-up call for the team and believes they are crucial experiences as they prepare for the 2025 regulations.
“These two weekends have been crucial for us to understand our weaknesses, the car, and how to improve,” said Alonso after finishing out of the points in Monaco. “In tough times, you learn more than in victories, so we are learning a lot for the rest of this year and the coming seasons. These two races have been a big wake-up call and will benefit us greatly.”
Alonso does not expect a quick recovery in the team’s performance. He explains that it will take several races before they can introduce a notable performance upgrade package. However, Aston Martin will continue to bring small innovations for each race weekend, including Canada and Alonso’s home race in Spain.
“We had some doubts after Imola and Monaco, where we struggled to go fast, and we need to change this trend,” added Alonso. “It will take a few races to make a significant improvement in the car, but until then, we have to give our best and improve on track to get results. There will be good and bad days, but we need to stay united.”
Alonso expressed disappointment that Aston Martin has fallen to the midfield instead of competing at the front. However, he remains hopeful that an effective upgrade to the AMR24 car can change their luck.
“Overall, it was a tough weekend and we learned a lot from these challenges,” said Alonso. “The current form is not ideal, as we find ourselves back in the midfield instead of among the leaders. But things can change quickly, as we have seen in many other examples. With a good upgrade to the car, we can move up five or six positions. That’s what we aim to do in the next race, and we are working hard to achieve that goal.”
