David Croft says Adrian Newey won’t ‘enjoy’ Aston Martin F1 car close-up after Lance Stroll spin

Follow us on Google Discover

Aston Martin’s problems continued on day one of F1’s final pre-season test as Lance Stroll stopped after spinning off track, and David Croft says Adrian Newey won’t appreciate the camerawork afterwards.

During the first session, Fernando Alonso’s frustration got the better of him as he wrestled with the unpredictable AMR26. Alonso managed just 28 laps before lunch – only Cadillac’s Sergio Perez (24) and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar (13) posted fewer.

Stroll hoped to make up for that lost track time when testing resumed, but he ended up bringing out the first red flags. As he applied the brakes into turn 11, the rear of the car violently gave way.

The Canadian ended up stopping in the gravel, though world feed commentator Anthony Davidson suggested that it was ‘not driver error at all’. Aston Martin were beset by technical problems during the first test last week.

F1 world feed shares shot of Aston Martin floor during testing

As the car was recovered so it could be returned to the Aston Martin garage, F1 camera crews captured a clear shot of the car’s underbody, one of the most important areas for downforce generation.

This gives rival teams a precious opportunity to examine Newey’s floor in detail when it would otherwise be shielded from their view.

Davidson said: “A good undershot of the car there, actually.

How worried are you about Aston Martin after Lance Stroll’s BRUTAL comments?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Croft replied: “Oh, Adrian Newey’s not going to enjoy this!

“They never like these moments where you can actually see the secret floor of the cars,” Davidson added.

There are flaws with Newey’s first Aston Martin design, even if he has been praised for his radical approach. The team have had to install additional cooling on the car to prevent overheating.

Fernando Alonso expects Aston Martin fixes ‘before it’s too late’

Aston Martin’s issues appear to be threefold, with the engine, gearbox and chassis all failing to meet expectations.

Honda discovered further problems with their power unit on Wednesday when they carried out a camera inspection of the car.

Until all three elements are addressed, Aston can’t expect to achieve the lofty objectives they set for the current ruleset. Lawrence Stroll signed engineers like Newey because he wants to win.

Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, Alonso said: “We will try to fix everything that we can before Australia, and after that, try to fix as many things as possible in the first couple of races before it’s too late in the championship. I’m optimistic… there is a solution in place.”

Early estimates suggest that Aston Martin are second from bottom in the pecking order, only ahead of newcomers Cadillac, but there will be changes before the end of the week.