Fernando Alonso was slightly surprised by the AMR24’s performance in FP2, though he is aware that lap times at this stage can be misleading.
At this stage last year, Aston Martin was the main headline in the F1 paddock. The British outfit pulled off among the most impressive steps forward over winter in recent memory.
The Silverstone-based team went from the midfield to regular podiums, with Alonso claiming six podiums in the first eight races of 2023.
Unfortunately for Mike Krack’s team, a series of failed mid-season upgrades proved costly.
Aston Martin fell behind Ferrari, Mercedes and eventually McLaren. Heading into 2024, Dan Fallows and his technical have worked to put themselves back at the very front.
Based on Free Practice, Alonso will certainly be in contention for strong points. Last season’s mistakes have largely been resolved.
However, the Double World Champion is aware that others across the field are conserving some of their pace.
Alonso’s assessment
The situation is not the same as twelve months ago when Ferrari and Mercedes were still licking their wounds after poor winters.
Alonso takes this into account when assessing the pecking order:
“Obviously, we don’t know what the others are doing. We just concentrate on our programme.
“It’s difficult to read. Definitely, I am a little bit surprised that we are a little bit high on the timings.
“But this can change dramatically with the fuel loads compared to everyone else.
“So I remain calm. As I said, I am happy with the set-up changes we made today.”
The Spaniard also added that Aston Martin was in a stronger position last season – a very honest assessment of the team’s competitiveness.
This analysis is almost certainly true compared to the other non-Red Bull teams.
However, the gap between the AMR23 and RB19 was still significant – even if Alonso regularly finished at the front.
Regardless, Dan Fallows and his engineering team will assess how close their current challenger is to the reigning Champions.
