Fernando Alonso says he’s “not too worried” by Aston Martin missing out on the podium for the second time in three races at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The two-time World Champion’s winter switch from Alpine coincided with Aston Martin’s shock transformation into a front-running outfit, resulting in Alonso scoring five podiums in his opening six races in green.
But after missing the podium at his home race in Spain, a substantial upgrade package to its AMR23 returned Alonso to the second step of the rostrum in Canada.
However, having qualified seventh, Alonso could only manage sixth in the Austrian Grand Prix, which became fifth later on once Carlos Sainz was penalised for track limits.
Unlike other teams, Aston Martin failed to take advantage of pitting under the Virtual Safety Car on Lap 14, but Alonso claims a different strategy wouldn’t have yielded a better result for the Silverstone squad.
“I think it was more or less the maximum that we could achieve,” he stated.
“It was very close with Lando [Norris] in terms of pace and with Mercedes, and I think maybe a little bit more clear communication for the pit stops would have helped but it didn’t change the outcome of the race.
“Today, this was the maximum.”
After appearing to take a step forward in race pace in Montreal, Ferrari’s extensive raft of upgrades at the Red Bull Ring enabled it to land second and fourth on the road.
Meanwhile, despite struggling considerably in Austria, Mercedes has enjoyed a resurgence in recent rounds since introducing a revised car in Monaco.
Asked where Aston Martin’s early pace has gone relative to the competition recently, Alonso responded: “I don’t know. I think it’s a little bit of everything.
“Maybe the circuit didn’t suit our car. Last year, Aston struggled a lot in Austria, so there are some similarities from last year as well.
“Haas was very fast as well. I think they were sixth and seventh on the grid last year and they were fast this year too.
“So, a little bit of the circuit, a little bit of the upgrades that everybody else brought here but we should not be too worried. We have another opportunity next week.”
Fernando Alonso (ESP) Aston Martin F1 Team on the grid. 02.07.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 10, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, Austria, Race Day.
Looking ahead to the British Grand Prix – Aston Martin’s home race – Alonso is optimistic that the AMR23 will fare better.
“We should be OK,” he said of Aston Martin’s prospects for next weekend. “Silverstone is an incredible track to drive with the fast corners.
“We will be racing at home with the factory just 50m away, so we will give it our all.”
Aston Martin’s successful appeal post-race that saw eight drivers penalised for track limits infringements granted the team an additional three points.
Alonso was promoted to fifth, while Pierre Gasly’s infraction elevated Stroll to ninth.
The British marque’s overall tally of 21 points from the weekend means it has closed to within three points of Mercedes in the fight for second place in the Constructors’.
But despite Sainz being demoted from fourth to sixth, Ferrari gained on both Mercedes-powered outfits, with Charles Leclerc escaping a penalty to hold second.
All three teams of the teams contesting the second spot are expected to unveil more updates at Silverstone.
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