Fernando Alonso has hailed Aston Martin’s “aggressive” development approach in the 2024 Formula 1 season amid the arrival of upgrades at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Alonso’s move to Aston Martin last term coincided with the team emerging as a front-running fixture, with the Spaniard logging six podiums in the opening eight rounds.
However, the Silverstone-based squad regressed as the season transpired, dropping back to fifth place in the championship as Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren improved.
Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows addressed heading into the current campaign that its ambition with the AMR24 was to have a base that could be developed.
But with the British marque remaining the fifth-fastest force in the pecking order, Alonso believes that Aston Martin must strive to improve across the board to progress.
“Well, at the moment, we don’t see a specific area that we are weak,” Alonso assessed ahead of the race weekend at Suzuka. “We are just missing a little bit everywhere.
“We would like to have more low-speed performance, better traction. We would like to see more downforce on the high-speed corners as well. Sometimes, we lose a little bit of time.
“At the moment, it’s still this trend of being a little bit faster on Saturday than Sunday. So, tyre degradation is still another topic to address.
“But there is not one specific. I think it’s a little bit of everything.”
Alonso, who is determining whether to extend his deal with Aston Martin, has been encouraged that the team is on the right path to reverse the trend from last season.
Aston Martin has brought several renovations to the AMR24 this weekend, including revised sidepods and floor, a new beam wing and other outstanding modifications.
“We have so far been very aggressive on the development of the car,” he explained.
“New part in Jeddah on the front suspension. Tweak on the front wing in Australia. Now, another package.
“So far, every race we’ve been driving a different car, which is a good sign of what we want to achieve this year. Being very aggressive on off-track.
“Last year, we learned a lesson. Starting very good and then not changing the car enough was painful in the second part of the season.
“This year, hopefully, we are a little bit stronger on the second half compared to the first half. Let’s see.”
But despite being satisfied that Aston Martin is now accustomed to the relentless battle at the sharp end, Alonso acknowledges that its competitors are not standing still.
“I think it’s better not to have a clear deficit in one area because it means that there is something that you were miscalculating or you are not understood completely,” he said.
“I think it’s just a matter of bringing more downforce to the car with improvements. I think there is a lot of things in the pipeline as well for the next coming months.
“I think it’s the same for everybody. That’s the only thing. You are not racing alone.
“McLaren brought something to Australia. It seems that it helped because they were quite strong in Melbourne.
“I heard here that Red Bull is also bringing some new parts. It’s a race off track as well.
“I think at least we are in that race this year. Last year, we were not even in the race.”
While being gentle on its rubber was a strength of its predecessor, Aston’s AMR24 has been exposed as a car that is more competitive over one lap than race stints.
Asked if the upgrades were targeted at addressing such concerns, Alonso said: “I think they are both linked. More downforce will address also the tyre degradation.”
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