Aston Martin had a complicated Saturday at the Canadian Grand Prix in Formula 1, but Fernando Alonso believes the team showed small signs of progress in Montreal. Even without advancing to Q2, the Spaniard highlighted that the car showed some improvement compared to previous stages.
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The two-time world champion retired from the Sprint race after a touch at turn 1, and then finished the qualifying session for the GP only in 19th position. Despite the modest result, Alonso stated that he felt more competitive throughout the weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“I always like driving here in Canada and I felt we were a bit more competitive this weekend. There are some small steps in the right direction, but we still need more performance to advance to Q2,” he said.
The Aston Martin driver also commented on the Sprint retirement and projected a challenging race if the rain forecast is confirmed on Sunday: “In the Sprint I had contact at turn 1 and ended up retiring. If it rains tomorrow, it will be interesting because we have not yet driven in wet conditions with this new regulation, and the grip levels here will be very low. It will be a demanding race for everyone, but we will see what we can do,” concluded the Spanish driver.
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On the other side of the garage, Lance Stroll also faced difficulties throughout Saturday in Montreal. The Canadian started from the pits in the Sprint race, after the team identified a suspension problem still on the starting grid.
In the qualifying session, Stroll finished only 21st and complained about the lack of grip of the car: “It was a tough day. I simply didn’t have confidence in the car because of the lack of grip, which made it difficult to really attack,” he concluded.
The team principal, Mike Krack, acknowledged Aston Martin’s operational problems and admitted that the team’s fight on Sunday should be against Cadillac, although he sees the possibility of rain as an opportunity to try to surprise.
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