Dakar Rally: Aston Martin Aiming for Redemption After Qualifying Woes

Monza, Italy

In the build-up to the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso has expressed concerns about the team’s lack of pure performance, suggesting that even their tyre savviness may not be enough to overcome their struggles at the Monza circuit.

Aston Martin had a disappointing qualifying session, with Alonso failing to reach Q3 and finishing 11th, while teammate Lance Stroll was eliminated in Q1 in 17th position. This marks the team’s poorest qualifying result since the Austrian Grand Prix, raising questions about their competitiveness at the high-speed Monza track.

“I prefer to have an updated floor or rear wing than a brain at the moment,” the two-time world champion Alonso said, hinting at the team’s need for performance upgrades to keep up with their rivals.

Despite Aston Martin’s 40-point buffer over sixth-placed Red Bull in the constructors’ championship, Alonso acknowledges that the team will struggle to maintain their recent points-scoring streak, which has seen them finish in the points in the last four races.

Tyre management could prove to be a crucial factor in the Monza race, with Pirelli’s data suggesting that both one- and two-stop strategies are viable options. However, Alonso believes that the team’s lack of pure performance is the main concern, rather than the tyre situation.

“Probably one-stop is still the favourite, historically Monza has been like that,” Alonso said. “But if extreme graining happens, two stops is available for everyone with the tyres available, so I don’t think that we will see many different strategies tomorrow. The tyres will dictate the race.”

Pirelli’s director of motorsport, Mario Isola, echoed Alonso’s sentiments, stating that while a one-stop strategy is likely to be prioritized by teams, the small time difference between one- and two-stop strategies could lead some teams to opt for the latter.

As the Aston Martin team looks to bounce back from their disappointing qualifying performance, all eyes will be on their ability to maximize their tyre management and strategic capabilities to overcome their apparent lack of pure pace at the Italian Grand Prix.

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