Fernando Alonso admits to struggling in getting to grips with the inconsistent AMR24

Fernando Alonso joined Aston Martin in 2023 to bring glory to the Silvertone-based squad. However, since their early season form in 2023, the team has often been battling with lower-midfield cars to stay within the fringes of points. Witnessing this trend continue into 2024 and the AMR24 being stubborn, the Spaniard claimed to have been struggling with this year’s challenger.

Aston Martin bought the former Racing Point outfit to enter F1. They set out a goal to start winning races in the coming four to five years. But, despite this optimism from the team’s part owner Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin has been trundling the rear of the pack and having a hard time scoring solid points.

Subsequently, Fernando Alonso admitted that he has not been able to get up to grips with the AMR24, which has resulted in a massive struggle.

The car is not easy to drive and it’s a little bit unpredictable at times. So this obviously removes confidence to the driver, when you are not able to push and to trust that the car will do the same in every corner, in every lap. This inconsistency is something that is not great when you are behind the wheel and I’m struggling more this year than previously.

The Spanish veteran asserted that the car is not easy to drive and has an unpredictable nature. This inadvertently hampers the driver’s confidence in the cockpit and stops them from extracting the full potential from the machinery. The inconsistency has been a crucial factor in halting Alonso from getting comfortable with the car and extending his tally of three top-six finishes in the season so far.

Fernando Alonso reveals the mentality going inside Aston Martin’s garage

While the Spaniard finds himself in a better place than compared to his McLaren stint between 2014-18, his recent outings have been tough. The 42-year-old has often been found struggling to cling onto the final few points-paying positions.

On the other hand, Alonso revealed the drastic measures taken inside the garage to get a chance at finishing in the top few positions.

Instead of changing something minimal before qualifying, we change the whole car before qualifying because we know that with the current car in FP3, we will not be able to score more than one or two points, so you risk it more... These kind of things we learn a lot during this season and probably has been our – or, my – personal biggest difficulty.

Alonso explained that going into qualifying, the AMR24’s setup is changed drastically in a bid to gamble for a higher starting position. However, this drifts the car’s setup window from its goldilocks zone, which often hampers their progress.

Despite his admission that Aston Martin is currently in a no man’s land, he signed a contract extension with the team. Thus, for a few more years, the Spaniard would be seen repping the green outfit in the hope of Championship glory.

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