Frustration for Fernando Alonso: The Spaniard takes his team to task again after the meagre result in Zandvoort and explains what the racing team must now do
A year ago, Fernando Alonso was probably closest to his first Formula 1 victory in over ten years: He was narrowly beaten by local hero Max Verstappen in the rain at Zandvoort back then
Twelve months later, Aston Martin scored just one point for tenth place on the dune circuit on Sunday. “And even one point is probably too many for the pace we had,” Alonso states ruthlessly after the race.
At least: “We had a good qualifying session, so we started from P7, which gave us the opportunity to score this one point,” says the Spaniard, who nevertheless emphasizes: “But we have to get better. It’s been the case for a few races now that we’re struggling to keep up with some of the midfield teams and we need to understand why and get better. “
Alonso criticizes: “We are the seventh fastest team ”
Alonso is sounding the alarm at Aston Martin – before the race in Zandvoort, he had already announced at the start of the summer break that he only saw the rest of the season as a test for next year. Following the first Grand Prix after the break, not much has changed in this assessment.
“I don’t think the break has changed much. In Budapest we fought with Yuki until the last lap. In Spa with Williams and Alpine. They were faster than us, but we did a one-stop strategy and beat them. And here, I think Alpine and Haas were faster than us. “
Alonso’s sobering conclusion is therefore: “Overall, we are the seventh fastest team. We certainly need to improve.” In addition, race trim is currently causing major problems: “I think qualifying is obviously our strength this season. ”
Alonso calls for better understanding and new parts
“We were very quick in qualifying and on this type of track, where it’s difficult to overtake, it’s normally a very good sign to have two cars in Q3. But we were probably a bit better yesterday than we should have been,” fears Alonso: ”Today, as I said, is the reality, and nothing has changed in the last three or four races.”
Alonso is convinced that the team would have finished outside the points at Spa without the good tactics and, with regard to Aston Martin’s current situation, states: “It’s obviously disappointing for us.” The Spaniard therefore demands: “We need to understand the car better, we need to bring a few new parts for the next races and get back to where we started the year.”
At the very least, a return to a much more solid midfield position must be the clear goal until the season finale in Abu Dhabi in order to build on this foundation in 2025 – so that Alonso can finally compete for podium places or even victories again, and not just for the last point of the day as a meagre consolation prize.
