Aston Martin salvaged a win at Suzuka, but "there are many boxes to tick within the team"

On the Suzuka circuit, the objective was clear for Aston Martin To finally see the checkered flag, while still being ranked. A mission accomplished with 18th place. Fernando Alonso, one lap behind the leader, while Lance stroll was forced to retire from the race. A contrast that perfectly sums up the team's current situation, between improvements in reliability and a glaring lack of performance. Fernando Alonso emphasized the importance of finally completing a full race distance, a symbolic milestone after a difficult start to the season: “Finishing the race here at Suzuka today shows clear progress for the team, and that’s a very positive takeaway from this weekend. Even though we didn’t have the pace, it was still enjoyable to accumulate valuable mileage and race alongside Lance.”

Beyond the raw result, the Spaniard emphasizes the groundwork and the data collected, essential in a still nascent development phase: “There are many boxes to tick within the team, and I think that today, completing the first race distance provided us with valuable information and data that we need to analyze to improve. As for the pace, it wasn't there, neither during the weekend sessions nor during the race.”

The same was true for Lance Stroll, who was unable to finish the race due to a technical problem. Before his retirement, the Canadian described it as a difficult but exciting race: “I enjoyed racing today, even though we weren’t competitive and were fighting for the last few places. Suzuka is always a fun circuit to ride, so it’s a shame we couldn’t go all the way.” When questioned about the circumstances of his withdrawal on the microphone of the Formula 1He specifies: "I think it's a water pressure problem. We'll look into it, but that's what we think for now."

"Our team's performance is far from adequate."

Despite these difficulties, the team notes a slight improvement in reliability, as explained by Mike Krack, Aston Martin's track manager. car Alonso held his own, but the incident involving Stroll's car serves as a reminder that there is still significant work to be done: "The goal today was to complete a race distance, which we managed to do with Fernando, who finished 18th. This is an important moment for the team and our technical partner, Honda, at their home race."

The leader does not, however, hide the current shortcomings: "It is also clear that our team's performance is far from what it should be and that we need to redouble our efforts to improve it." In this context, the upcoming break almost appears as an opportunity. Aston Martin will be able to analyze the data gathered between Silverstone and Sakura and try to correct the weaknesses of a package that is still far from its best. At this stage, simply finishing a race is already progress. But to be competitive in the field, they will need to quickly transform this simple progress into a genuine performance gain.

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