Fernando Alonso blames Aston Martin’s woeful performance in Austria on their shady past at the Red Bull Ring

Fernando Alonso claims that the Red Bull Ring remains a thorn in Aston Martin's side.

Fernando Alonso blames Aston Martin’s woeful performance in Austria on their shady past at the Red Bull Ring

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (Credits: Racing News 365)

Aston Martin Racing was again disappointed after failing to finish on the podium in the Austrian Grand Prix. Following this, the two-time champion, Fernando Alonso, freely remarked that their lousy showing might be due to the team’s terrible history at the Red Bull Ring track.

Following an awful qualifying performance, Aston Martin opted for a different strategy, with Fernando starting on hards. However, the Virtual Safety Car caused by Nico Hulkenberg‘s Haas retirement wrecked their plans. “We tried something different, an alternative strategy starting on the Hard tyre, and obviously, that Virtual Safety Car didn’t favour our hopes of extending the first stint,” confessed Alonso.

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With the race neutralized from that point onwards and all teams on an equal footing about tire strategy, Alonso acknowledged, “We more or less finished in the place we deserve. We were six fastest and kept sixth.” Though finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton, the subsequent post-race penalty for the Mercedes driver highlighted the challenging competition faced by Aston Martin.

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Examining the team’s struggles at the Red Bull Ring, Alonso drew attention to their performance last year, where they faced considerable difficulties. “Last year Aston Martin was the 10th fastest in Austria, and Haas was very fast, starting in sixth and seventh,” Alonso remarked, highlighting the similarities in performance across seasons. It appeared that certain circuits carried over characteristics from one year to another, presenting specific challenges for Aston Martin.

Discover: Aston Martin become the new F1 villains as they lash out after Austrian GP and challenge the race results

Fernando Alonso doesn’t want a repeat of this the next time they are at the Red Bull Ring

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll (behind) at the Austrian GP
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll at the Austrian GP (Credits: PlanetF1)

Last year’s Austrian GP was undoubtedly a challenging race for Aston Martin. Sebastian Vettel finished a lap behind race winner Charles Leclerc, while Lance Stroll languished in 13th place, failing to secure any points. Though this year’s race saw a double-points finish, it marked their weakest weekend thus far, leaving the team yearning to return to their early-season prowess.

While Alonso recognized the track-specific struggles, he emphasized that accepting their poor showing was not an option. “That doesn’t mean that we need to accept that – we cannot come next year and be slow again,” he asserted. The team protested the results and had them altered after several drivers were handed post-race penalties.

Alonso speculated that a mix of track-specific factors and enhancements provided by Ferrari and McLaren may have led to Aston Martin’s loss of speed. Despite the setback, the team is still fighting for second place in the standings with Ferrari and Mercedes. Aston Martin is presently only six points behind Mercedes, so every race, every moment counts in their pursuit of greatness.

Alonso’s insightful evaluation of Aston Martin’s poor performance at the Red Bull Ring sheds light on the team’s inability to duplicate their early advantage. The team must now regroup, analyze their flaws, and formulate a strategy to overcome the hurdles offered by certain tracks. With the race for second place heating up, Aston Martin’s desire for redemption becomes even more vital as they try to keep up with their opponents.

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