Fernando Alonso is ‘a little disappointed’ with what he has seen at Aston Martin

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Fernando Alonso has conceded that he is ‘a little disappointed’ with what the two-time Formula 1 world drivers’ champion has seen at his Aston Martin team so far in 2024.

The 43-year-old enjoyed a fantastic first season in Silverstone in 2023 after Alonso switched Alpine for Aston Martin. He burst out of the gates to get six podium finishes in the first eight rounds. Alonso also added a third P2 and a fifth P3 finish to his tally in the remaining rounds.

But the 2024 Formula 1 season has not been as strong for the Oviedo native so far. After the first 14 of the record-breaking 24-round calendar, Alonso is ninth in the championship on 49 points. Lance Stroll is also in 10th on 24 points, to put Aston Martin fifth in the teams’ table.

Fernando Alonso is ‘disappointed’ with how Aston Martin have regressed

Alonso secured his best result of the season so far in the second round with fifth place in the Saudi Arabian GP. Stroll also had his best finish in the third round with sixth in the Australian GP. The next 11 Grand Prix have also only seen Alonso and Stroll score points in six and four.

The Silverstone squad’s struggles this season have even left Alonso feeling ‘disappointed’ as Formula 1 breaks up for the summer. He finds it ‘undeniable’ that Aston Martin have fallen from fighting the big tour teams to be mired in the midfield and looking over their shoulder.

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What makes this season so far such a disappointment for Alonso is that he felt Aston Martin started strongly. The Oviedo native qualified fourth on the grid for the Saudi Arabian GP and was 17.120s off the podium. He also finished the Australian GP in P6 before taking a penalty.

“I am a little disappointed,” Alonso said, via quotes by Speedweek. “It is undeniable that we are currently fighting against Williams, RB and Alpine, and last year the four top teams were our opponents.

“All we have left at the moment is to defend ourselves against the guys behind us. Even at the beginning of the year, we were still able to fight for [the] top five or top six positions, especially in qualifying.”

If 2023 was a ‘dream’, Fernando Alonso will want to wake up in 2024

Sealing three P2 and five P3 finishes in his first year in Silverstone saw Alonso describe 2023 as a ‘dream season’ with Aston Martin. But their momentum started to slip as the campaign progressed as Aston Martin failed to keep up with their rival teams in the development race.

READ MORE: F1 2024 teammate head-to-head battles including race, Sprint and qualifying

Those struggles carried over the winter break, too, with Alonso’s average finishing position through the first 14 Grand Prix this year just 9.7. Stroll has also secured an average finish of 11.1 through the 13 races he has finished. Alonso has seen the chequered flag in each race.

It all leaves Aston Martin with 73 points after the first 14 rounds, while Mercedes boast 266 for fourth place. Visa Cash App RB have scored 34 points to rank in sixth place in the team’s standings, ahead of Haas (27), Alpine (11), Williams (4) and the sole point-less team, Sauber.