(Motorsport-Total.com) – Fernando Alonso had to endure another setback in qualifying for the British Grand Prix. The Aston Martin driver only secured 22nd and thus the last starting position. Particularly bitter: teammate Lance Stroll was about one and a half tenths of a second faster and thus managed to qualify ahead of the two-time world champion. Nevertheless, Alonso appeared surprisingly calm after qualifying.
Read more Isack Hadjar: Red Bull’s slow start is «shocking»
Because from his point of view, Silverstone mainly confirmed a positive trend that Aston Martin had already recognized at the previous race weekend in Austria. “It was very similar to the last races,” explains Alonso.
“On the positive side, energy management and battery usage were again consistent. We already saw that in Austria.” This means it is already the second race weekend in a row where the team sees progress in this area. “So far, everything is good.”
“We are slow – but that surprises no one”
Alonso does not even try to sugarcoat the fact that Aston Martin currently simply does not have the necessary performance. The Spaniard openly addresses the problems and therefore sees no big surprise in the result. “We are still slow,” he says matter-of-factly. “But that surprises no one.”
At least the team can gather valuable insights under these conditions. “We have the same car and will see if we can learn even more tomorrow.”
The development process is currently clearly the focus. Alonso is convinced that Aston Martin is making progress step by step, at least in the factors the team can influence itself. “In the things that are in our hands, we are getting better. We are making progress there.”
Nevertheless, not everything is as it should be yet. “It is not perfect yet. But in Formula 1, nothing is perfect anyway. Even if you win races, you have to keep improving in every area.”
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: Sprint and Qualifying in Silverstone live!
Progress despite a difficult season
Therefore, Alonso focuses less on individual results and more on long-term development. “There is still a lot of work to do,” emphasizes the Spaniard. “But everyone on the team is determined to get better.”
One area, in his opinion, already works remarkably well: race starts. Even in the sprint, Alonso was able to defend or attack positions well in the first meters before the lack of top speed on the straights caught up with him again.
“The starts are actually the nicest thing at the moment,” he says. That Aston Martin regularly impresses there is no coincidence. “Our starts have been very good since day one. Even during the test drives in Bahrain, we were competitive there.”
Praise for the crew despite technical problems
Precisely for this reason, Alonso wanted to explicitly compliment his team. Because the strong starts are, from his point of view, the result of good work by the engineers and mechanics. “We have had many problems with the power units this season and partly also with the gearbox.”
All the more remarkable are the consistently good procedures at the start. “That’s why we also have to give recognition to our starting system. The team is doing a really very good job there.”
For the race, Alonso now hopes to be able to use this small advantage again. “Let’s see if we can gain an advantage from it again tomorrow.”
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: Sprint and Qualifying in Silverstone live!