Eyes on the Prize

Two-time world champion and ace racer Fernando Alonso found his pace at the recently held Japanese Grand Prix, and attributes it to his Aston Martin team’s attention to detail.

The Spaniard secured a commendable P6 finish at Suzuka, exceeding expectations for a car he believes resides in the midfield fight.

Qualifying in a surprising P5 hinted at a strong race for Alonso. Early laps confirmed that promise, with the former world champion demonstrating good pace on the soft tires.

However, during his second stint on mediums, the reality of Aston Martin’s car against the frontrunners became apparent.

Oscar Piastri in the McLaren and George Russell in the Mercedes closed in on Alonso, but the Spaniard displayed strategic brilliance. He allowed Piastri close enough to utilise DRS, effectively turning the McLaren into a shield against Russell’s advances. This masterclass in defensive driving secured Alonso a well-deserved P6 finish.

Looking back on the race, Alonso acknowledged a slight improvement over recent performances but emphasised the need for further development.

“We were a little bit better than the last few events,” he admitted, “but we still need some pace compared to McLaren and Mercedes. Red Bull and Ferrari, they are in another league.”

Aston Martin arrived in Suzuka with updates, and Alonso believes analysing their effectiveness is crucial.  “It is difficult always to compare from track to track,” he explained, “but I guess we have a lot of data now. After the whole weekend, we will analyse everything.”

Despite the limitations, Alonso lauded the team’s efforts in maximising their potential. 

“The team for sure is doing everything right on Sundays – strategy-wise, the start is mega, pit stops today were amazing,” he enthused. “Thanks to all those small factors, we are finishing sixth instead of ninth or wherever. I love to see that, but as I said, fundamentally the pace of the car is still not as good as we want it and we want to improve that.”

Across the garage, Lance Stroll’s race mirrored the team’s current predicament. Starting a lowly P16, the Canadian clawed his way back to P12. However, a distinct lack of straight-line speed hampered his progress. 

“We lacked a lot of straight-line speed, so I had to do my overtaking at Turn 6,” Stroll lamented. “I couldn’t do it down the main straight in DRS. So yeah, it was a tough race, tough weekend.”

Following a qualifying session where he struggled to pinpoint the cause of his difficulties, Stroll hopes the data from the Japanese Grand Prix offers more clarity. “We have some ideas, so hopefully we can have a better weekend in China,” he concluded, looking ahead to the upcoming race.

While Alonso celebrates a strategic triumph in Japan, the bigger picture remains clear for Aston Martin. They must find more pace to truly challenge the top teams. The data from Suzuka provides valuable insights, and the team seems committed to capitalising on Alonso’s strategic brilliance and maximising performance. The Chinese Grand Prix awaits, offering an opportunity to bridge the gap and propel them further up the grid.