Fernando Alonso has conceded his Aston Martin Formula 1 car is lacking grip after both the team’s drivers ended qualifying in Australia at the rear of the top 10.
Aston Martin’s evolved AMR24 challenger had proven to be potent over one lap in the opening rounds, with Alonso having qualified in fifth place in Saudi Arabia.
But while Alonso progressed into the pole position shootout for the third consecutive round, the Spaniard ended up slowest of all in the third and final segment.
The two-time champion admits he compromised his prospects of a stronger result when he endured an excursion through the gravel at Turn 6 on his initial Q3 run.
With team-mate Lance Stroll one place ahead and behind the RB car of Yuki Tsunoda, Alonso contends that Aston Martin is lagging behind its rivals this weekend.
“I think we felt a little bit less competitive this weekend,” Alonso assessed.
“FP1, FP2, FP3 we was not as fast as Jeddah for example. We were P1 in FP2 and P2 in FP3 in Jeddah and it was not the case here.
“So yeah, a little bit more problematic weekend in terms of pace. And then in Q3, yeah, not ideal. In the first attempt I went out in Turn 6 in the gravel.
“And then in the last new set of tyres I was not fully confident anymore on the car and I couldn’t trust.
“Yeah, little bit tricky [in] Q3. Q1 and Q2 depends how many sets [of tyres] you use, it can look a little bit better or worse. But I think we need to find more pace.”
When asked whether the Albert Park Circuit had exposed weaknesses with Aston Martin’s car, Alonso contended that every team struggled with the conditions.
“Just lacking grip, too much sliding, a little bit sensitive to the wind, last lap inconsistencies, but I think it is the same for everybody,” he added.
Regardless of the Silverstone-based squad’s competitiveness, Alonso asserts that the team must be prepared to pounce on chances to move up the order in the race.
“There will be lots going on tomorrow,” Alonso highlighted. “It’s not going to be an easy race for the tyres – graining will be a concern for everybody – so let’s see if we can manage them better than the others. We want to get both cars home in the points tomorrow.”
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