Alonso says early P10 was unexpected, Stroll sees clear direction
Albert Park-large.jpg)
Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, powered by Honda, lined up on the starting grid with Fernando Alonso in 17th and Lance Stroll in 22nd. Stroll did not take part in qualifying the previous day as a precaution following an issue, and therefore did not record a lap within 107% of the fastest Q1 time. However, following discussions with the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), he was permitted to start the race.
At the start, Alonso made a strong launch from the outside of the grid in P17, moving up to 12th through Turn 1. He then gained further positions through Turn 3 by taking the inside line, climbing to 10th place. Starting from P22, Stroll also passed one car at Turn 1 to move up to 19th.
Alonso ran inside the points positions until lap three, but lost two places in the “Straight Mode Zones” between Turns 8–9 and Turns 10–11. Under the new regulations, “active aero” can be used in five designated Straight Mode Zones around the circuit, allowing both the front and rear wings to adjust. In addition, the newly introduced “Overtake Mode” allows drivers within one second of the car ahead at the detection point before the final corner to deploy additional electrical power. Drivers must strategically decide where to use their limited electrical energy around the lap, and numerous overtaking moves were seen throughout the race.
From lap five onward, Alonso lost several positions and dropped to 16th place. On lap 12, a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed, prompting both cars to pit.
When the VSC ended on lap 14, Alonso continued in 16th and Stroll in 18th. However, at the end of that lap Alonso pitted again, and checks were carried out on the car in the garage.
On lap 25, Alonso returned to the track on soft tyres after the checks and continued running to collect data, but he pitted again at the end of lap 34 and retired from the race.
Meanwhile, Stroll pitted from 17th place on lap 37 for similar checks in the garage. He rejoined the track on lap 50 and ultimately took the chequered flag in 17th place, 12 laps behind the leader. Although he was not classified as a finisher as he completed less than 90% of the winner’s race distance, the race still provided valuable data for the team.
The first two laps were the most enjoyable part of the race for me. We had a good start and ended up P10 which was unexpected. We were then out of position and so we fell back. We then brought the car into the garage to check things over and went back out before we had to retire the car. China next weekend will be another good opportunity to get mileage and optimise things.
The first two laps were the most enjoyable part of the race for me. We had a good start and ended up P10 which was unexpected. We were then out of position and so we fell back. We then brought the car into the garage to check things over and went back out before we had to retire the car. China next weekend will be another good opportunity to get mileage and optimise things.
It was good to get some kilometres in the car today, especially after missing pretty much all the track running this weekend. We used the race as a learning session and stopped for several laps to check things over in the garage before heading back out. There’s still quite a bit missing in terms of performance and reliability, but the laps we managed today should give us a bit more direction going into China.
It was good to get some kilometres in the car today, especially after missing pretty much all the track running this weekend. We used the race as a learning session and stopped for several laps to check things over in the garage before heading back out. There’s still quite a bit missing in terms of performance and reliability, but the laps we managed today should give us a bit more direction going into China.
Today was primarily an opportunity to learn more about the AMR26. Both cars took the start and, when it became clear we could not compete for points, we chose to pit and check the cars over. The team then asked Fernando to retire the car to preserve components. The data and learnings from this weekend will help us as we go into the next event.
Today was primarily an opportunity to learn more about the AMR26. Both cars took the start and, when it became clear we could not compete for points, we chose to pit and check the cars over. The team then asked Fernando to retire the car to preserve components. The data and learnings from this weekend will help us as we go into the next event.
In Melbourne, we made another step in the right direction. We were able to see that our power unit countermeasures worked in race conditions when we ran in the grand prix without reliability issues. This improvement has been significant if you look at where we were in Bahrain compared to where we are now.
“This event was extremely important for us to check battery reliability. Since the Bahrain tests, Aston Martin Aramco and Honda have worked together very closely to find a solution to the battery vibration issues. As one team we have been working around the clock to find and implement these countermeasures.“We can see from our data that the battery vibrations have continued to decrease, and we are now confident we are on track to complete a full race distance. In this aspect, we are on the right trajectory, and we need to keep up this momentum. Every lap we can complete is vital for our PU data gathering, so the hard work and maximum effort will only continue as we move forward.
“Next week in China, we are now confident to build up more mileage on the battery. We will focus on putting in the laps and gathering data to improve our performance and optimise our energy management.
In Melbourne, we made another step in the right direction. We were able to see that our power unit countermeasures worked in race conditions when we ran in the grand prix without reliability issues. This improvement has been significant if you look at where we were in Bahrain compared to where we are now.
“This event was extremely important for us to check battery reliability. Since the Bahrain tests, Aston Martin Aramco and Honda have worked together very closely to find a solution to the battery vibration issues. As one team we have been working around the clock to find and implement these countermeasures.“We can see from our data that the battery vibrations have continued to decrease, and we are now confident we are on track to complete a full race distance. In this aspect, we are on the right trajectory, and we need to keep up this momentum. Every lap we can complete is vital for our PU data gathering, so the hard work and maximum effort will only continue as we move forward.
“Next week in China, we are now confident to build up more mileage on the battery. We will focus on putting in the laps and gathering data to improve our performance and optimise our energy management.
-medium.jpg)
-medium.jpg)
-medium.jpg)
-medium.jpg)
