Aston Martin looks to be firmly in the mix at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit, although the AMR24’s true potential is unknown. Several factors worked to obscure the British outfit’s place in the pecking order this weekend.
An early error from Fernando Alonso compromised his FP1 session, damaging his floor and forcing him to spend significant time in the pits. At this early stage of the season, losing track of time is never ideal for a team learning about a new concept.
Even in the second hour of Friday running, a shortage of parts meant the Spaniard could not run a used floor. At least the Silverstone-based squad is not suffering the same shortages of Williams, their fellow Mercedes customer team.
On the other side of the garage, Lance Stroll executed a far smoother day of running. The Canadian finished both sessions ahead of his teammate, setting the benchmark in the AMR24. In terms of raw performance, Friday running in Australia confirmed already established trends.
Stroll crossed the line P7 in Free Practice 1, just 0.103 behind Norris in first. In the more representative Second Practice, the 25-year-old was fourth-fastest, marginally ahead of Alonso in fifth.
It was not necessarily a surprise to see both Aston Martin drivers in the top 5 in practice. Mike Krack’s team proved their one-lap pace is to be taken seriously in Jeddah, where Alonso fought for the front row.
ASTON MARTIN TRUE PERFORMANCE IS UNCLEAR
However, the damage sustained to Alonso’s floor makes his lap times tricky to analyse. In atypical fashion, the Spaniard was a few tenths behind his teammate on day one.
Other variables that are difficult to quantify are Aston’s engine mappings and fuel loads. On paper, the AMR24’s readings in the speed trap suggest a relatively high power unit setting. This would be consistent with their approach in previous events.
On this occasion, inferring this from the data is slightly more problematic. Aston Martin’s DRS was the most effective in Friday’s Practice, generating more speed than any other team. At a circuit with four detection zones, this can skew the metrics typically used to measure engine modes.
Another factor to consider is that Alonso and Stroll were running different configurations. The deficit between their long-run pace (which was occasionally one second in Stroll’s favour) is proof of this. Teammate comparison should become easier when their set-ups diverge tomorrow.
While experimentation is normal in Formula 1 practice sessions, Aston is likely to test more than others at this stage – in an effort to improve high-fuel performance.
The true impact of their new front-wing upgrade is also difficult to gauge. At this stage, early indications are that Dan Fallows and his technical team are pleased with the data collected. Regardless, both on Saturday and Sunday, there are uncertainties that Aston Martin will either validate or dismiss.
