The first free practice sessions of the Japanese F1 Grand Prix have brought us good news regarding Aston Martin, which has improved compared to the first two races, but which still leaves us with many unknowns ahead of qualifying tomorrow. Fernando Alonso, after a very good free practice session 1, ended up again in the gravel in free practice 2.
Aston Martin improves
For much of the first free practice session of the Japanese F1 Grand Prix, we saw Fernando Alonso‘s Aston Martin setting the best times, finally achieving a seventh place that gave rise to hope and showed that the team had taken a step forward.
The AMR25 seemed to feel at home on the Suzuka track, achieving good cornering speed and a good top speed. However, everything went wrong during the second practice session. After a first red flag that stopped the first half hour of the session, Alonso returned to the track and was barely able to complete two laps before he hit the curb in a corner and got stuck in the circuit’s gravel. Another retirement for the Spaniard, who was unable to return to the track.
On the other hand, the improvement was seen in Fernando Alonso, since Lance Stroll was far from the times of the Asturian driver, which raises many doubts as to how real these improvements are or if the step forward is simply due to the Spanish driver’s skill on a complicated circuit that he has always said he likes very much.
Outlook for qualifying
Given what we saw in free practice 1, Fernando Alonso is in a position to fight for a place in Q3 in this Saturday’s qualifying. His times indicate as much. However, we must take several factors into account: the first is that we do not know how damaged the flat bottom has been after hitting the gravel at such speed. The latest precedents are not at all optimistic, and it is possible that he could lose a few tenths, which is key in such a close grid. The second point is whether we compare Alonso’s times with the Australian GP, where he also managed to set great times in the first sessions and then lose the advantage at the moment of truth.
Aston Martin already said they were behind schedule this season. Changes in personnel and in the factory delayed the set-up of a car that now seems to feel better than in the first races. They now have real race and practice data to make the best set-ups for the car, but it remains to be seen if they can take the step forward that people expect.
The truth is that the AMR25 seems to be a better car in this new race, and we will have to see if Fernando Alonso has the car ready for tomorrow and can take it to Q3 during qualifying, which looks very even.
Aiming for points
Aston Martin’s goal for this race is to be able to score points. They know that qualifying is key, but they also know that Suzuka is one of the most complicated circuits in F1 and that it is possible to take advantage of drivers’ mistakes during the race, so it is important to be in good positions and to draw up a strategy that allows them to take advantage of the circumstances of the race. In a World Championship where the teams are so close together, any detail counts in order to gain a position and to be able to continue to score points for the Constructors’ Championship.