Lance Stroll has revealed Aston Martin “have a few ideas” on why the team struggled throughout the Mexico Grand Prix last weekend.
Aston Martin encountered trouble with the raft of upgrades it introduced in the United States, resulting in the side suffering a shock first double Q1 elimination of the year.
But Stroll’s encouraging run to the points from the pitlane in Austin with the updated car provided renewed hope for the Silverstone squad heading to Mexico.
However, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez marked another troubled round for Aston Martin, who failed to threaten the points positions before both cars retired.
Stroll concedes that Aston Martin’s AMR23 was “just lacking speed in the corners everywhere” around the Mexico track, adding “We just weren’t very competitive last week.”
“I mean, it wasn’t what we were expecting, hoping for, after a really strong race on Sunday in Austin,” he continued.
“We started from the pitlane, changed a few things from the car, you know, had a strong race on Sunday in Austin, finished in the points, then going to Mexico, really struggling again. So, not, you know, what we were hoping for last weekend. But we’ll see what we can do this weekend.”
Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin F1 Team 27.10.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 20, Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City, Mexico, Practice Day.
Asked if Aston Martin can expect to be more competitive at Interlagos this weekend for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Stroll replied: “I hope so. We have a few ideas. For sure. I think a lot of, you know, analysis has gone into last weekend, coming into this weekend. So yeah, we’ll see how we go.”
Aston Martin’s latest development push marked an attempt to stem the plight that has seen the British marque slump down to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.
After starting the season as regular podium scorers, Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack admitted “side effects” from previous upgrades had contributed to its slump.
Stroll, who has endured seven consecutive Q1 eliminations, concede he’s unsure whether Aston Martin’s current car would be slower than the launch-spec AMR23.
“I mean, we started the season really strong. You know, always kind of fighting, finishing in the top five,” he acknowledged. “And yeah, I mean, you know, coming into Bahrain, we were, you know, second, kind-of, quickest car. But it’s, you know, been more challenging lately.
“But, you know, Formula 1’s a development race throughout the year. So, I think there’s no doubt, you know, teams have improved. It’s a relative game. You know, no one has the same car that they had at the first race of the season. So tough to say.”
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