Fernando Alonso Rings Alarm After Aston Martin Trails Williams, Haas And VCARB

Saajan Jogia | Sep 7, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Aston Martin driver driver Fernando Alonso (ESP) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has raised alarms concerning the AMR24 F1 car's performance this season, which saw him secure 17 points in the last ten Grands Prix. His run during the Italian GP marked a slight improvement as he finished P11 but fell behind Williams driver Alex Albon in P9 and Haas' Kevin Magnussen in P10. Lance Stroll, on the other hand, was the last driver to cross the finish line.

While the top four teams continue to rack up points, Aston Martin in fifth place is falling behind. Haas has shown significant improvement over last season, and Williams is also making strides with new upgrades. Alonso is concerned about losing further ground as the competition intensifies. Speaking to the media after the Italian GP, the 43-year-old driver said:

“I think Lance [Stroll] and myself, we’re trying to do the best we can every weekend.

“One inspired weekend, like this one from my side, I know it’s going to be completely anonymous, ‘Monza 2024 from Alonso,’ but I think this year we’ve been Lance and myself [are] very close, two or three seconds away at the end of the race, always in front or behind.

“And today was one of those weekends that I was a little bit better, and I was happy with the car and pushing to the level that maybe was beyond 100%, and that was P11.

“So yeah, disappointed on that. We need to be patient. We need to understand that the big target is 2026.

“But at the same time, I think as a team, we could accept not being in the top four battle. They are top teams and they are well in front of us.

“But now to be behind Williams, behind Haas, behind Toro Rosso [VCARB], I think we need to raise the bar a little bit. We need to get better.”

The Spaniard concluded that unless an upgrade arrived for Aston Martin's title contender, the team would continue to witness similar race results as witnessed in Monza. He added:

“I think until we have an upgrade on the car, this is what it is, and this is not good enough.

“Not good enough in Monza. Not good in Zandvoort, in Spa, in Hungary. So I don’t think there’s going to be a big change in Baku or Singapore or Austin unless we bring new parts.

“That’s the plan. The team is aware of the situation. The team is working flat out. So yeah, we keep united. We keep pushing. Last weekend was one point. Today was close to two points, and that will be our battle.”