Fernando Alonso admits ‘everything falls apart’ with key problem amid Aston Martin struggles

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Aston Martin have fallen behind the top four teams in 2024 after enjoying their best season to date last year.

Fernando Alonso scored eight podiums in 2023, including third place finishes in the opening three races, to finish fourth in the standings with 206 points; his best finish in Formula 1 since 2013.

While Lance Stroll struggled for consistency across the season and the team fell away towards the back end of the year, Aston Martin managed their highest points tally since taking over from Racing Point in 2022 with 280 points to finish fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.

However, the Silverstone-based team have been languishing in the midfield in 2024, with no podiums to their name as they regularly struggle to make it to Q3.

Alonso has begged Aston Martin to make improvements to the AMR24, as his sixth and eighth place finishes in Baku and Singapore, according to the Spaniard, hid their lack of performance due to the tricky nature of overtaking on street circuits.

Fernando Alonso says ‘everything falls apart’ when extracting 100% from the 2024 cars

Speaking with The Race, the Spaniard outlined a key problem with the 2024 machinery that limits Aston Martin in their bid to get back to competing at the top.

Under the current regulations in the ground effect era, aerodynamics and downforce are such a key factor in the car’s performance, with there a difficulty in generating enough downforce in low-speed corners, whilst also having a consistent balance through the corners.

According to Alonso, the cars ‘aren’t easy to drive’ and that pushing the car to the absolute limit can be more detrimental than when drivers are not trying to push.

“These cars aren’t easy to drive but I think the problem of these cars is to extract 100%,” he said.

“So if you drive at 90% sometimes you’re faster because you don’t put the platform in inconvenient angles or ride heights or you’re not pushing the limits. It’s where everything falls apart when you’re at the limit.

“Sometimes driving at 90% is faster.”

Aston Martin are in a league of their own as they struggle to keep up with the top four

With six rounds to go, Aston Martin find themselves firmly in the middle of the pack in what has been a disappointing decline from last year.

Alonso has been able to extract the most out of the AMR24, securing the team’s best result in Melbourne with fifth, His teammate Stroll has faired much worse, only managing to score points on six occasions this season as he is on a streak of five races without a top 10 finish.

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Aston Martin’s 86 points this season puts them very much out on contention with McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, but they are comfortably sat fifth in the constructors’ standings as they hold a 52-point advantage over the next team Visa Cash App RB.

With the arrival of Adrian Newey for the 2025 season onwards, Aston Martin will be hoping the legendary designer can conjure up some much magic from his notepad and transform the team into a Grand Prix-winning and title-contending outfit, especially considering Lawrence Stroll is reportedly paying Newey a £30 million-a-year salary.