Fernando Alonso managed to snatch points at the Dutch Grand Prix thanks to a one-stop strategy that was not initially planned but proved to be very opportunistic.
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The Aston Martin driver believes that his ability to adapt to race circumstances played a decisive role, even though the developments brought by his team have not yet solved all the problems of the car.
Asked about his performance at Zandvoort, Alonso did not hesitate to highlight his experience and his ability to read a race: “I am a very good driver. It was not the plan. I think we were supposed to make two stops and adopt a more conventional strategy”, explained the two-time world champion.
Finding himself in open air
Aston Martin ultimately chose to change its approach due to traffic. Alonso had an interesting pace in the corners but experienced more difficulties on the straights, which made overtaking particularly complicated.
“Sometimes we have to deviate a bit from what is considered normal,” notes the Matador. “When we are in traffic, we cannot exploit our potential. We are faster in the corners than the cars in front of us, but slower on the straights and we remain stuck behind.”
The Spaniard and his team therefore prioritized finding clear air, even if it meant adopting a strategy that was theoretically not the fastest: “As soon as we have clear track ahead of us, we try to take advantage, even if it is not the optimal performance or the optimal strategy. That’s what we did today.”
Alonso satisfied with chassis progress
The Dutch weekend also represented another important test for Aston Martin. After introducing a new chassis, the team continued to evolve its package with several novelties: “Especially on the chassis side. We brought four or five components here”, Alonso specified.
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The initial findings seem encouraging on this front. Aston Martin is particularly looking to confirm that the new parts produce on-track gains observed during development.
The situation remains more delicate regarding the engine. Alonso believes it is still difficult to precisely determine the progress made: “For the engine, it’s more difficult. I don’t think we can say so categorically whether we have more power or not.”
Handling problems still present
Beyond pure power, Alonso mainly pointed out the difficulties in the behavior of the power unit.
Downshifts and engine braking remain two problematic areas: “From the driver’s point of view, you change circuits one month after the previous race, so handling has been difficult all weekend. We again have problems during downshifts and with engine braking from one corner to another. So it has been a complicated weekend at this level.”
Despite these difficulties, the points obtained at Zandvoort represent an encouraging result for Aston Martin. The car seems to have progressed in terms of chassis, but Alonso clearly considers that significant work remains necessary, especially on the integration and handling of the engine.
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