Fernando Alonso has sounded the alarm ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, believing that Aston Martin is failing to resolve its gearbox issues, which could be fatal in Monaco.
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While the very particular characteristics of the Monaco circuit should limit the impact of the Honda engine’s power deficit, the double world champion believes that another problem is now much more concerning.
Since the Miami Grand Prix, Aston Martin has been experiencing recurring difficulties during downshifts. Alonso explained that the car sometimes makes unexpected gear changes, which can cause abrupt and dangerous reactions under braking.
Unpredictable Gearbox
On a circuit like Monaco, where walls are omnipresent and the slightest mistake is immediately punished, this type of malfunction could have dramatic consequences.
“We’ve had problems with the gearbox since Miami,” Alonso said. “Monaco is not the place where you can afford a random downshift. You can lock the rear wheels, have an unexpected engine surge or unpredictable behavior, and you end up in the wall. The driver will look stupid when in reality he is sometimes simply a passenger in the situation.”
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The Spaniard notably describes situations where the car suddenly seems to accelerate due to engine braking or an incorrect gear engagement: “You shift a gear and you get an engine surge as if you were almost at full throttle. We tried to improve this in Canada and Monaco will tell us if we have really made progress.”
Ending up in the wall?
Alonso even went so far as to state that if the problem observed in Miami recurred in the Principality, the team would probably not be able to finish the race: “If we have the same downshift problems as in Miami, we probably won’t even be able to race, because we’ll end up in the wall at one of the big braking zones. If we also find the reliability issues from the start of the season, when we could only do eight or twelve laps, then it won’t change much to be in Monaco. We absolutely have to put everything together.”
According to Alonso, the team has spent a large part of the last two weeks working on these problems, aware of the importance of this Monaco event: “We know it’s a crucial weekend and we’ve paid particular attention to every detail.”
For Aston Martin, the challenge this weekend will therefore not be only to find performance, but above all to guarantee a sufficiently reliable and predictable car to allow its drivers to attack with confidence between the rails of the Principality.