Despite a points-scoring finish at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso believes the upgraded Honda power unit is still Aston Martin’s weakest link.
Alonso drove a stellar 72-lap race at Zandvoort last weekend, taking his AMR26 from 18th on the grid to ninth at the chequered flag.
The Silverstone-based team had brought a radically upgraded b-spec package to the Hungaroring just before the summer break and doubled down on its development with yet another upgrade package for the Dutch GP.
The two-time F1 World Champion believes that despite a stronger chassis, the works Honda power unit is still lacking competitiveness compared to its rivals.
He deemed that the latest batch of upgrades on the engine has sent the team “back to square one” with a lot of optimisation yet to come.
“We’ll have to wait a bit longer with the engine,” he told AS.
“I don’t think this weekend has yielded the result we were hoping for. We don’t have that handling, that gear-shifting feel.
“Everything we’d improved with the first engine; we’ve gone back a bit to square one with this second one, so we’ve got about two or three races ahead of us to optimise it.”
Looking ahead to one of the most power-sensitive tracks on the calendar, Monza, Alonso’s outlook was naturally pessimistic.
“And for the rest of the year, there’ll be circuits where we’ll do better and others where we’ll do worse,” the 45-year-old added.
“Monza is going to be one of the worst and there’ll be no chance of scoring points, but we’ll try to improve this aspect of the handling.”
Fernando Alonso praises Aston Martin F1 motivation
Alonso’s P9 finish could be a decisive moment in the Silverstone-based team’s fate under the current rule-set.
The Spaniard reckons that the team have gotten on top of almost all its major chassis issues, isolating the Honda PU as the only area of concern.
He believes that both Aston Martin and Honda have taken a lot of motivation from the result and is confident that the team’s fortunes will improve soon.
“If we’d brought this package here and found we weren’t performing well in the corners, it would have been worrying,” Alonso explained.
“But now that we have a clear direction, it’s a matter of optimising and working flat out on this package.
“Everyone is really motivated now. This result also means both factories will have everyone clocking in at eight o’clock tomorrow, because everyone wants more.”
Alonso’s points finish on Sunday means he is the only F1 driver other than Graham Hill to score an F1 championship point after turning 45.
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