(Motorsport-Total.com) – Fernando Alonso is skeptical ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. After all, his Aston Martin is struggling not only with aerodynamics but also with the Honda engine.
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When asked what result would be a success for Alonso this weekend, Alonso replies: “That’s hard to say.”
“If you look at the first races, we had no chance of points, because the top 10 and the five best cars were far ahead of everyone else. If Alpine, the fifth team, doesn’t perform this weekend, then someone else moves up, like Haas in China. Or another team performs really well on a particular weekend.”
“The Racing Bulls are always fast, that’s another factor. Getting into the top 10 is therefore very, very difficult.”
Furthermore, Alonso explains: “It’s Monaco. We’re trying to deliver our best possible weekend. Some things really need to be improved on the car, and Monaco is a good test for that. One clear issue is the gearbox.”
“We’ve been struggling with the gearbox since Miami. And in Monaco, you don’t want [the car] to suddenly downshift, because then your rear wheels lock up. Then you hit the guardrail and look really stupid as a driver.”
“Sometimes we’re just passengers when we downshift, just to push the engine to full throttle. So we need to make sure we’ve taken a step in the right direction since Canada, and Monaco will tell us the truth.”
When asked if they shouldn’t be at least a little closer to the rest of the field in Monaco, Alonso replies: “I’d rather drive here than in Monza.”
The 44-year-old adds to this statement: “As I said, if everything comes together this weekend and you have a shifting problem like in Miami, then we probably won’t be able to drive.”
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“We would crash at one of the braking points because the gear change behaves completely differently. If you have reliability problems, like at the beginning of the year, and can only drive eight to twelve laps, that doesn’t change in Monaco. We really need to get everything together.”
The two-time world champion emphasizes: “We’ve been working on this since Canada two weeks ago. We’re really paying attention to every detail this weekend. So, I’m looking forward to getting in the car. Monaco is unique, but at the same time, I’m quite realistic about our chances of getting into the top 10.”
Fernando Alonso already competed in Formula 1 races when …
“We’re simply too far away. We’re not in 14th or 13th place, where you can take a bit more risk in Monaco and gain three, maybe four positions. We’re in 21st and 20th place, so that’s a big jump. But we’ll try.”
Alonso also explains how important qualifying remains in Monaco. The track’s grip level develops from session to session, and according to the oldest driver in the field, it’s crucial to improvise perfectly at exactly the right moment.
Finally, Alonso emphasizes: “Many things are not in our hands. But in the areas we can control, we should reach our best level this year. At least, that’s what I expect from everyone in the team.”
At least Aston Martin has got the seat problems from Canada under control, according to Alonso’s statements.
The team does not have performance updates for Monaco. Instead, Alonso and Stroll will have to wait until summer to get into an AMR26 with new parts. In the Constructors’ Championship, the team is currently in eleventh and thus last place.
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