'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Fernando Alonso discussed Aston Martin's performance at the 2024 F1 Monaco GP after the team suffered from an "unlucky start" that messed up their tire strategy. They were one of the teams that started the race on the hard compound, hoping for a long stint.
Aston Martin were out of points at the Monaco GP weekend after a P11 and P14 finish from Alonso and Lance Stroll, respectively. The former has now explained the situation that the team went through. They started on the hard compound tires to run a long stint and perhaps utilize the overcut strategy. However, a major crash on the opening lap between Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen resulted in a red flag.
Trending
Under the conditions, all teams swapped their tires, and that was it for most of them because of the slim chances of overtaking at the Monaco track. Fernando Alonso explained that running the entire race length on the medium tire was not suitable and hence they struggled to keep up with the pace.
"We were unlucky at the start, we had chosen the Hard tire with the aim of going very long in the first stint. With the red flag everyone changed tyres, we had to put on the Medium and get to the end. It was very difficult to keep the tires alive. At a certain point we thought about trying a different strategy with Lance, we were outside the points and had nothing to lose," he said according to formu1a.uno
Fernando Alonso provides insight on Aston Martin's future upgrades
The Silverstone-based team had a very competitive start to the 2023 F1 season and remained the second-fastest team in the initial races. However, by the end, their developmental pace did not match that of their competitors and Aston Martin finished the season in fifth place.
The upgrades still seem to be one of the reasons why they have dropped out of the top competition this season as well. After the experience that Fernando Alonso had in Imola and Monaco, he stated that this is a "wake-up call" for the team.
"These two races were a big wake-up call for the team and that will be positive," he stated.
However, Alonso remains positive, as he feels that these results "can change quickly" if they work in the right direction. The 42-year-old also stated that it will be a few races until new upgrades are introduced on the AMR24.
"We must reverse this trend. I believe it will take a few races before we introduce a significant update to the car , but until then we need to give our all and improve on the track to achieve better results. These things can change quickly, we've seen many examples, a good upgrade on the car can move you five or six places, so that's what we want to do and we will work hard in that direction," he added.
The team currently stands at fifth place in the constructor's championship with 44 points. Although they were close to catching Mercedes earlier, they have developed significantly, and there now exists a 52-point gap. The only team closer to Aston Martin is the Racing Bulls, but they have only scored 24 points so far.
