Fernando Alonso says it “doesn't matter” if Aston Martin finishes in lower points-paying places in the upcoming 2024 Formula 1 races, as he would rather it prioritised 2025 car improvement.
Aston has not finished higher than fifth in the 2024 season so far – which it has only done once, at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – and it has failed to repeat its podium-securing form from 2023.
While rivals such as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have made big gains since the start of that season, Aston also had its major Imola floor, front wing and diffuser upgrade package backfire, which meant it was forced to reset its development path.
This started with further front wing, floor and diffusers changes being introduced at the Hungarian GP shortly before the summer break, while Alonso has now suggested that Aston’s poor results at Barcelona and Austria (the only races other than Monaco where the British team has failed to score in 2024) were down to “some mistakes on the car configurations” in terms of set-up.
When asked how he was setting his expectations for the second part of the 2024 season that is getting underway at Zandvoort this weekend, Alonso replied: “Ninth and 10th, every race, is what we fight for.
“[The] top four teams are between 30 and 45 seconds in front of us every race. To be in the top eight, we need a DNF from the cars in front.
“So, yeah, to secure that ninth and 10th is not that easy. In fact, we never did in the last few races [either Alonso or his team-mate Lance Stroll were 11th in Hungary and Spa].
“Yeah, I think scoring points and being in Q3 will be the target every weekend. But this is in terms of results and things that you can see.
“In the background, we have a lot of test items, a lot of ideas in the car that we want to test in preparation for next year's car and things like that.
“So, that will be my biggest motivation or my biggest hope for the remaining ten races – to have a good understanding of many of the question marks we have and finish the season with a clear idea.
“It doesn't matter if we are in the points or not, but we need to make sure that we start next year on the proper path.”
Additional reporting by Ben Hunt
