The Aston Martin Formula 1 team has been struggling during the current 2024 F1 season. Fernando Alonso, the Aston Martin F1 driver, admitted that he had done everything he could after a disappointing sprint qualifying session. Alonso was knocked out in SQ2 on Friday as he struggled to find speed in the strong AMR24 car in Spielberg.
Alonso has had a difficult season so far and is currently in ninth place in the championship, with only 41 points after ten races. The AMR24 car from Aston Martin has also been quite different from its 2023 version, which has contributed to the decline of the team based in Silverstone this season.
Despite this, Alonso mentioned that the car felt good in both SQ1 and SQ2 in Austria, as it handled well in corners and on straight sections. However, he was shocked when the AMR24 failed to make it into the top 10 after a promising session.
“It was very close out there as we expected. I was satisfied with my laps in Sprint Qualifying and I believe we achieved the best lap time in both SQ1 and SQ2. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make it into SQ3 today,” said Fernando Alonso.
Aston Martin will now aim to maximize their results starting from 12th and 13th positions on the grid for the sprint race. Additionally, the team will have another opportunity to perform better in the main race on Sunday, hoping for an improved performance in the qualifying session.
Similarly, Lance Stroll also missed out on SQ3. He mentioned that the last lap of SQ2 could have been better for him if not for a mistake towards the end. Stroll recently signed a contract extension with Aston Martin and has been eager to perform well in Austria.
“We still have some work to do, but the car had a bit more speed today. I was pushing hard out there to get the most out of the lap, but I lost control slightly in the final corner,” said Lance Stroll.
Stroll has been one of the weaker links in the Aston Martin team this season, scoring only 17 points in ten races. However, he acknowledged that the AMR24 car was fast around the corners of the Red Bull Ring but needed a little more to make it into SQ3.
The 25-year-old driver further explained that in his ambitious attempt to push the car to its limits, he made a mistake in the final corner of the Red Bull Ring, which may have cost him a better result in the Sprint qualifying session. Stroll remains hopeful for better performances in the upcoming events of the Austrian GP race weekend.