Fernando Alonso had to abandon the Australian Grand Prix, bringing to an end a weekend conditioned by two errors that spoiled the good performance of the Aston Martin. There are reasons for optimism in the next races, but he leaves this Grand Prix with a very bitter taste.
Two errors by Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso made two errors over the weekend that leave him out of the Australian Grand Prix. The first was in qualifying: he lost control of the car on his first attempt at Q2, and the gravel damaged the flat bottom, preventing him from setting a time fast enough to enter Q3.
And during the race, when he was in tenth position, and stalking Pierre Gasly for ninth place, he lost control of the AMR25 and crashed into the wall, putting an end to the weekend.
However, the Aston Martin showed good form and Lance Stroll managed to fish his way through the chaos of the rain to finish in sixth place, good points for the team, who knew how to react after the chaos caused by the Spanish driver just before the rain returned to the Albert Park circuit.
Fernando Alonso: “A very costly mistake for the team”
Fernando Alonso has expressed his disappointment at a very complicated race and regrets a mistake he still hasn’t understood. “These are races you don’t enjoy behind the wheel, the white lines are like ice and you try to take advantage of the mistakes, but it’s the same for everyone”.
As for the accident, he regrets what happened as he claims to have taken the same line as the rest of the laps, but the possible gravel may have been the cause. “I still don’t understand it, I went through the same place as always, but I found gravel there. A very costly mistake for the team,” the Spaniard acknowledges.
Now all that remains is to take the positives from the car, which are many, and think about next week’s Chinese Grand Prix: ‘Whenever we’ve been to China we’ve done well,’ the Spaniard concludes.
Good feelings from Aston Martin
Despite Alonso’s retirement, the team’s CEO, Andy Cowell, was satisfied after the end of the race and for having finished in the points. “It’s good to start with points in the first race, Lance had a good race”.
He highlighted the team’s strategy at crucial moments in the race, which was key to Stroll‘s sixth place finish: “The strategy group did a good job”.
The Aston Martin CEO appreciates the team’s good pace, but highlights the equality of the midfield. “Half the grid is tight and small improvements can make you gain a lot of places”. “We have to continue to understand the car to know why it works better or worse in some sections of the race”.
Aston Martin ends the Australian Grand Prix with bittersweet feelings. The car has shown that it works and that the improvements that may come in the next races can be a boost for the team. They leave Australia in sixth position ahead of the Ferraris, and with the feeling of being much better than many might think. The black spot, somewhat unusually, was Fernando Alonso, who has not had the best start to the year, but who knows that he has a car that will allow him to fight for important things this year. There is no time for rest, next week there is a race in China and Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso must find the best way to get back to the top of the rankings.