The performance gap in Formula One is narrowing race by race. Although Max
Verstappen remains the standard, the Red Bull team is showing signs of
weakness. McLaren and Ferrari have been improving their performance and
achieving better results in recent races. Lando Norris secured his first-ever win
at the Miami Grand Prix, whilst Carlos Sainz claimed victory for Ferrari at
Melbourne.
However, one team which has surprisingly not hit the mark is Aston Martin.
Everyone had high expectations for them to be right up there with McLaren and
Ferrari, yet the team's performances are stagnating. The team had a tremendous
rise at the beginning of 2023 but saw a decline towards the end of the season,
falling behind McLaren to 5th in the standings. Still, signs of their ambition and
potential gave everyone hope that they would be even better this season.
Struggling to gain momentum
Coming into 2024, Aston looked to regain their momentum. However, unlike
the brilliant start to last season, they seemed to lack a spring in their step. The
car was not as aerodynamically sharp as before and lacked the power to keep up
with McLaren and Ferrari. Particularly in Suzuka and Shanghai, Stroll was
vocal about the car not having the straight-line speed or grip to keep up with its
rivals.
Things took a turn for the worse in Miami and Imola. In Miami, the Astons
were half a second slower in qualifying versus the top teams. During the race,
the car seemed to struggle with cornering, having entry oversteer transitioning
to mid-corner understeer. The outcome was disappointing as they only mustered
up 2 points.
At Imola, Aston brought in 9 upgrades, with aggressive changes to the front
wing, floor, diffuser and rear suspension to improve the aerodynamics. While
the car showed improvements with its usage of the drag reduction system, it
took a massive hit on its drivability. Fernando Alonso, the most experienced
driver on the grid at Emilia Romagna, suffered his worst performance in a long
time. The car seemed almost undrivable for the Spaniard, as he suffered a first-round
qualifying exit and ended up 19th in the race.
Whilst the result was considered a one-off, alarm bells must be ringing for the
42-year-old. It is rare to see a subpar performance from the Spaniard, as he has
built a reputation for maximizing the capacity of any machine entrusted to him.
His start at Aston was incredible, delivering multiple podiums for the team.
However, progress has not been as promising as he had hoped. He has
committed to the team till 2026, and he hopes to be back in the mix fighting for
race wins once again.
Numerous Aspects to think over
At this stage of the season, Aston Martin is 101 points off of last year, the worst
difference amongst any team currently on the grid. They still lie 5th in the
standings but they have their work cut out for them. Recent performances
suggest their nearest Mercedes and even the Racing Bulls team.
The biggest weakness of the AMR24 is its aerodynamics. With the wind tunnel
at the Silverstone factory only beginning operations by the end of 2024, the
team will continue to use the Mercedes wind tunnel at Brackley. With testing
time limited by FIA rules, this makes the task even more daunting.
There is uncertainty surrounding Aston's ability to meet their ambitious
goals. They have invested a lot of money in building the factory at Silverstone
as well as recruiting Dan Fallows and Andor Hegedus from Red Bull to boost
their project. They even had talks to try and convince legendary race car
designer Adrian Newey to join the team, after he announced his departure from
Red Bull in 2025. The project from an operations perspective still seems to be
proactive, which does provide hope for the fans.
However, one of the major concerns to the Aston Martin project is…….
Lawrence Stroll. His greatest ambition is to win the F1 World Championship
with his son, Lance. Since Lance's debut, there has been substantial criticism
regarding his father's involvement in his career. Whenever it comes to Aston's
issues, fingers invariably point to the Canadian. Granted, Fernando Alonso is
not easy to beat, but Lance's performances this season have fallen short of what
Aston needs. Questions now arise as to whether or not he is worthy of that
second driver’s seat.
Another thing to consider is Honda's arrival as engine sponsors from the 2026
season. They seem to share the same ambitions as Lawrence and want to be in
the championship fight in 2026 itself. There has been much discussion about
who will take the second driver's seat at Aston for 2026. Yuki Tsunoda is the
prime contender for that seat. Honda has supported his career since 2016, and
the Japanese giants would love to bring him to the Silverstone team. Aston's
reserve driver, F2 Champion Felipe Drugovich has also been linked with the
second driver seat. Pressure will certainly be on Lawrence to make the right
decision.
Lance will also be under constant observation as he needs to step up
and prove his place in the competition. With all these complexities, things could
get ugly. If the current situation does not improve, what is an exciting project on
paper may fall apart and lead to nothing. The situation is reminiscent of
Toyota's involvement in Formula One, where despite significant investment,
their efforts did not yield the desired results. After suffering substantial financial
losses, they ultimately exited the sport. Fans hope this will not be the case with
Aston Martin.
Conclusion
A lot of eyes will now be drawn to Aston Martin for the rest of the year. The
season is not over by any means. There is still time for Aston Martin to bounce
back and get back to where they were. There is a lot to think about for
Lawrence Stroll and ultimately his decision will impact the future of the Aston
Martin project. Fans hope to see Aston Martin be right in the mix as the gap
between the teams at the top begin to decrease. Aston themselves will look to
get out of the performance slump and make better progress on the whole.
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