Aston Martin faces the first of three decisive weeks that will determine the fate of the AMR25 this season. After a forgettable start, in which the team is fighting neck and neck with Sauber to avoid having the worst car on the grid, this weekend’s Imola Grand Prix, the first race to be held on European soil, will see Fernando Alonso’s car receive the first updates of the year, the first of three expected over the next three races.
Andy Cowell confirms the improvements
The improvements to the Aston Martin come with a catch, but the main objective is to improve the car. The truth is that the parts received by the AMR25 are not exclusive to this car, they are tests for next season’s car. But they want to know if what is being done at the Silverstone factory is confirmed by the data on the track. It is therefore important that these first parts, made with the new wind tunnel, work correctly on this year’s car. It would be a step forward, not for this season, but for next season’s car.
Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell confirms that they will not be sure of their effect until they are tested on the Italian circuit. “We could have some new parts at Imola, we’ll have time to understand if it’s the right thing or not.”
These improvements are the first planned for the next three race weekends. The team at the Silverstone factory is working tirelessly, but they can’t have everything at once, which is why the parts can’t all arrive at the same time.
Alonso calls for caution
Fernando Alonso also confirmed in Miami that the AMR25 will have new parts for this weekend’s race. However, he is cautious about their effectiveness.
“Improvements? We have them. But so does everyone else. The others aren’t sleeping in the meantime.”
With these words, he warns that, whether or not the car improves, other teams will also have new parts, most of them, as is usually the case in the first race in Europe. A few tenths can be gained, but the gap is so wide that the improvement would have to be miraculous for there to be a real change on the starting grid.
A year of transition
Aston Martin wants to improve this year to avoid a disastrous season, but that is not the priority, far from it. The team has practically all its resources focused on next season with the aim of placing Aston Martin among the top teams in the championship and fighting for the World Championship. The tests they are doing are focused on the AMR26, and any that can be incorporated into the AMR25 will be done solely with the aim of cross-referencing track data with data from the wind tunnel. The chances of failure with these new parts are high, as Aston Martin is in the early stages of the new wind tunnel and the data extracted from it may not yet be accurate. These initial tests are mainly used to calibrate Aston Martin’s new machine so that resources can be optimized for next season.
But this does not detract from the challenge facing Aston Martin. It is facing the first big decisive week of the season, as it will be a good yardstick to measure whether Aston Martin is in a position to improve anything this season or whether Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will have to fight hard to avoid finishing at the back of the grid a year before they want to challenge for the championship, which will be difficult.