Aston Martin’s downward spiral is constant on the Las Vegas Grand Prix the place they’re Formulation 1’s slowest workforce for the primary time this yr.
Whereas all of their rivals received no less than one automobile out of Q1, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll didn’t get their AMR24s into Q2. Their quickest lap time was seven tenths of a second slower than they managed on the similar observe final yr.
“It was robust, however no shock,” Alonso admitted. “We’ve been struggling the final 4 or 5 months with the efficiency of the automobile and typically we managed to make some progress in Q1, typically we don’t. Immediately, sadly, we didn’t.”
Aston Martin started final season in nice form, Alonso taking six podium finishes from the primary eight grands prix. Nevertheless they’ve slipped again since then, and previous to this weekend’s race introduced technical director Dan Fallows had parted firm with the workforce.
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Alonso sees little prospect for any enchancment within the workforce’s efficiency tomorrow or over the remaining rounds at Losail and Yas Marina. “It’s a tricky race in entrance of us,” he mentioned. “We’re seventeenth and twentieth and we wish to enhance, however I believe this yr it’s unlikely.
“There’s solely three races left, the automobile would be the similar. So our foremost focus is on subsequent yr, sadly, and this yr now we have to just accept that there’s going to be some some ache within the final three races.”
Aston Martin haven’t scored some extent within the final three rounds. Even when that state of affairs continues till the tip of the yr, their 37-point benefit over Alpine is more likely to maintain, until their rivals obtain one other windfall end result much like the one they loved in Brazil.
Alonso says the workforce should be artistic in its strategy to races within the meantime as a way to stand an opportunity of amassing factors.
“There’s not a lot to be taught, however you at all times be taught,” he mentioned. “You begin on the again and you may gamble on among the selections you make: among the technique, tyre decisions, all these sorts of issues. For certain we will probably be slightly bit not in a traditional technique.
“However other than that, I believe to get some factors you want a little bit of luck from the vehicles in entrance of you as a result of typically they’re sooner than you. So we’d like some DNF or one thing. So we stay constructive however as I mentioned within the subsequent three races, it will likely be painful.”
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