Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is dissatisfied with the team’s continued slide down the Formula 1 pecking order, which has seen it become embroiled in a midfield fight with the likes of Williams, Haas and RB.
The Silverstone-based squad started the season as comfortably the fifth-fastest team, not too far behind Mercedes, but clear of the midfield.
Now, Aston Martin has regressed, the top four teams have surged ahead in terms of pace and Alonso finds himself scrapping race-by-race for meagre points.
After just missing out on a point with 11th at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix amid an admittedly strong weekend, the Spaniard demanded more from his team.
“I think Lance [Stroll] and myself, we’re trying to do the best we can every weekend,” Alonso told media including Motorsport Week shortly after the Italian Grand Prix.
“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, I think we need to raise the bar a little bit. We need to get better.”
Aston Martin’s no man’s land position in the F1 pecking at the start of the season sandwiched between the top teams and those trailing behind has given the Silverstone-based outfit a moderately comfortable points buffer in the Constructors’ standings.
The Silverstone-based outfit sits fifth in the table with 74 points, 40 ahead of sixth-placed RB.
However, if updates don’t come to the car soon, Alonso doesn’t see the team faring any better than it did in Monza, where a two-stop strategy saw the Spaniard finish just one second from scoring two points in ninth place.
“I think until we have an upgrade on the car, this is what it is, and this is not good enough,” Alonso said.
“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.”
