(Motorsport-Total.com) – Aston Martin is the only team in Formula 1 that has not brought any significant upgrades to the start since the forced break in April. For the AMR26, major progress is not expected before early July.
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In Canada, Fernando Alonso achieved the team’s best results so far with 16th place in the sprint qualifying and 15th place in the race. Nevertheless, they mostly duel with Cadillac at the back of the field. Points seem impossible with the current pace of the car.
“There are a few modifications to the car, but these are not the updates you see on Friday morning [in the official FIA document],” said Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack in Montreal. “We will bring such parts in the summer.”
“We are planning an upgrade for Spa and the race after Spa,” explains Lance Stroll at his home Grand Prix. “I don’t know, was that in Zandvoort?”
The Belgian Grand Prix is scheduled for July 19, while the Dutch Grand Prix is set for August 23. Nevertheless, the son of the team owner Lance Stroll does not expect a step towards the front positions.
Meanwhile, Alonso emphasizes: “I have made my peace with it because I understand the situation,” he said in Miami.
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“The team explained to me that we are currently in P20 and P19 and that the next car is a second away from us. Even if we find two tenths at every race, it will not change our position.”
“In times of the budget cap, that is really tough. Until we find one and a half or two seconds, it is not worth producing many parts because that would only waste money.”
Alonso has been part of the team since 2023 and was able to finish fourth in the world championship in his first season for the team. But after a year full of podiums, another period of suffering followed for the now 44-year-old.
In the sprint qualifying, Alonso was notable due to an accident in SQ1. As so often this year, the two-time world champion was forced to push the AMR26 beyond the limit.
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