Aston Martin begins to understand why its latest updates did not work
Aston Martin has seen little improvement on its single-seater for several months. However, the team arrived with a brand new aerodynamic package in Austin that was announced as a big step forward. These difficulties would come from erroneous data transmitted by the factory.
After a thunderous start in 2023, Aston Martin is feeling the blow. At the beginning of the season, Fernando Alonso was stringing together podiums, asserting the English team as the second force of the grid. However, for several months, the single-seater is no longer progressing, unlike its competitors McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. These three manufacturers have made great strides, regularly bringing new aerodynamic elements in particular. From second force of the championship, Aston Martin has dropped to 5th place in the current ranking, ahead of Alpine. The team is attributing the « side effects » to the developments it has chosen, which have impacted the balance of the single-seater. Aston Martin is aware of the problems and knows its areas for improvement.
« We can see where we went wrong in terms of the car’s balance », said Dan Fallows, the technical director after the USA Grand Prix. « We understood why this was affecting our overall performance. Now it’s about making sure we don’t make the same mistakes again. This has certainly been a year of learning. »
Simulator data problems
These problems would be due to incorrect data coming from the factory. « We were guided in a certain direction by our aerodynamic simulation tools, and we followed a path that was simply not the right one », said Eric Blandin, Deputy Director of Aston Martin, in the columns of AutoSport.
« I think that we have now corrected the problem with the new package. » This statement comes on the same weekend where Aston Martin encountered break problems on its vehicles, following wrong information from the factory. « Improvements need to always be made, constantly », added Eric Blandin. « We are constantly improving our simulation. A simulation tool is as efficient as what you put into it. It’s just about better understanding and trying to improve their liaison. »
The performance director of the British group emphasized that the main challenge for the team this season was to find the right slot to optimize performances in the bends, whether at low or high speed. « Being efficient in low and high speed bends, thanks to the optimization of the ride height, is a small challenge », he said.
« We don’t know how close we are to the solution. Our car has not been particularly efficient in high-speed turns and low-speed turns at the same time. We are therefore unable to do either well, almost since the beginning of the year. What we are trying to do is to have a range of adjustments that allows us to be efficient both with lower ride heights and higher ride heights. »
A new livery hard to gauge
Symptomatic of these progression problems, Aston Martin arrived at the United States Grand Prix with a new package that was difficult to evaluate. The team experienced brake problems in FP1, a retirement of Lance Stroll in the sprint then a retirement of Fernando Alonso in the Sunday race. Stroll still had an interesting race pace, which could encourage the team. The next race in Mexico should allow to further test these parts with a traditional race weekend.
