Aston Martin experienced another difficult weekend in Formula 1 and left the Canadian GP in Montreal without points. Fernando Alonso retired from the race due to a cockpit problem, while Lance Stroll finished only in 15th position after facing performance difficulties throughout the race.
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The result increased the British team’s concern about the car’s lack of competitiveness. Both the drivers and management acknowledged that Aston Martin is still far from the level needed to consistently fight in the points zone.
Stroll highlighted that the team mainly struggled to warm up the tires in the cold and unstable conditions of the Canadian circuit: “We couldn’t get the necessary temperature in the tires and had a lot of lack of grip throughout the race,” said the Canadian.
Besides the grip problems, the Canadian driver also complained about the speed on the straights: “We also didn’t have the necessary pace on the straights. The car’s performance is not where we need it to be and there is still a lot of work to get there,” he said.
On the other hand, Alonso assessed that Aston Martin had a promising start before retiring. The Spaniard stated that the choice of soft tires at the start was correct, especially because some rivals who bet on intermediates had to pit early.
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“We had a good start and were fighting for top 10 positions. We made the right choice starting on soft tires,” commented the two-time world champion. However, the race ended before halfway due to a problem with the car seat. “We had a problem with the seat during the race, so we decided to retire because the situation was uncomfortable in the cockpit,” he explained.
Even with the retirement, Alonso saw positive signs in the team’s performance compared to Miami, using the same aerodynamic package. According to him, the expectation is for progress only when new updates arrive closer to the category’s break.
The team principal, Mike Krack, admitted that Aston Martin simply does not have enough pace at this point in the season: “We had a reasonable start with both drivers gaining positions in the first laps, but it was difficult to stay there, especially when the threat of rain diminished,” he said.
Krack also explained that Stroll completed a conventional two-stop race using soft and medium tires, finishing ahead of Valtteri Bottas from Cadillac. The manager acknowledged that the final position reflects the team’s current level and stated that Aston Martin will continue working to optimize the package until new updates arrive.
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