Fernando Alonso has already outlined a timeline for upgrades to the AMR26. The Spaniard will have to be patient for now, as Aston Martin is first focusing on solving problems with the gearbox. After earlier vibrations from the Honda engine, the team is now plagued by this issue. Alonso waits patiently: ‘We are all determined to have a better second half of the year after the summer’.
Read more Also Ford and GM express support for V8 return: ‘Are ready for it’
Aston Martin was the only team that did not bring upgrades to Miami. While top teams – Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren – brought several new parts, the British team decided to mainly focus on the reliability of the AMR26. The British team partly succeeded in this. The earlier vibrations that had plagued the AMR26 since the start of the season were resolved before the Miami GP. However, the focus for the Canadian GP is on solving the gearbox problems before the team dares to bring upgrades.
Fernando Alonso waits patiently. “I am at peace with it because I understand the situation,” he told the media in Miami. “The team explained to me that if we gain one or two tenths every race, it doesn’t change our position: we are still P20 or P19, and the car in front of us is a second ahead. So even if we gain two tenths every race, our position doesn’t change and it puts enormous pressure on the system, the budget cap, and such matters.”
Read more Super GT driver debunks viral video of Verstappen: ‘Not true’
‘After the summer’
“Until we have improvements of one and a half or two seconds, it’s better not to press the button on production, because then we waste money.” The Spaniard therefore predicts that improvements will only really be visible on the AMR26 after the summer break. “I think we are all relaxed; we are all determined to have a better second half of the year after the summer. Let’s see if we can achieve that.”
Read more Way clear for F1 return of Christian Horner: ‘Good for the sport’
Read everything about the Canadian GP here
