Following a challenging few races, Fernando Alonso expressed concern over Aston Martin’s pace deficit that prevented him from securing a podium finish.
While the Spaniard finished sixth, post-race penalties elevated him to fifth, with teammate Lance Stroll finishing 10th, later promoted to ninth.
Alonso emphasised the need for Aston Martin to understand their performance issues and improve their competitiveness for future races.
Having achieved an impressive six top-three finishes from his first eight races with Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso was eager to continue his strong form.
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However, throughout the Spielberg weekend, the lead battle was dominated by Red Bull and Ferrari, leaving Alonso and Aston Martin struggling to make an impact.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Alonso stated, “It was nothing wrong with the car, to be honest, but we were not fast enough.
“The balance felt good, everything felt good, but we struggled the whole weekend.”
The lack of pace in Austria seemed reminiscent of last year, as Alonso pointed out that Aston Martin faced similar challenges in this particular race.
He urged the team to investigate the reasons behind their performance deficit and ensure improvements for future visits to the circuit.
Addressing their approach to the Sprint event, Alonso acknowledged the unpredictability of the format but expressed confidence in the team’s ability to learn and adapt.
He commented, “You never know how to approach these Sprint weekends, it’s a little bit unknown territory for everybody, but we are learning.
“At Spa, the next opportunity, we will be hopefully more prepared.”
On the other side of the Aston Martin garage, Lance Stroll also faced challenges during the race.
He lamented lost time under the early Virtual Safety Car period, which was triggered by Nico Hulkenberg’s smoking Haas stopping at the side of the track.
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Stroll, who was the second of the Aston Martin drivers to pit, lost valuable positions during this period and found himself fighting to regain lost ground.
Addressing the team’s lack of pace, Stroll echoed Alonso’s sentiments, stating, “I think we’ve got to look into it, but yeah, it wasn’t our most competitive day, so definitely got to do some homework before next week.”
The team recognised the need to analyse their performance and make improvements to be more competitive in future races.