Fernando Alonso’s ‘frustration’ came through as he battled with the Aston Martin during F1 testing, according to Anthony Davidson.
Aston Martin arrived in Bahrain facing plenty of questions and a real sense of urgency to find some answers over the final three days on track.
Last week, Lance Stroll said they were four seconds off the pace, dealing with several issues. The Honda engine has been described as both underpowered and unreliable, and the car doesn’t look easy to handle.
In a late change to Aston Martin’s plan, Alonso took over driving duties from Stroll on Wednesday morning.
Frustration Clearly Visible From Alonso During Aston Martin Run
Halfway through the morning, the broadcast caught Alonso during a lap as he looked to cut into a three-second gap from the leaders. Even from afar, it was clear he wasn’t at ease behind the wheel.
After a few wobbles, Alonso exited the final corner and spun his tyres, leaving some rubber on the track. Anthony Davidson suggested it wasn’t just an accident.
“I think that’s a bit of frustration coming out,” Davidson said. “You normally wouldn’t do that. That’s just really burning up your rear tyres for no reason.”
Davidson doesn’t think Alonso will be alone in his feelings either. With less downforce this year, drivers are already dealing with more sliding than before; Lewis Hamilton even compared it to rally driving.
“You’ll see a lot of frustration from drivers this year because the cars are not as nice to drive as last year,” Davidson added.
Fernando Alonso still waiting for Aston Martin to deliver on expectations
Alonso remains confident that Aston Martin will eventually build the best car on the grid, pointing to Adrian Newey’s influence as a key factor. But it’s not the first time he’s backed his team to get there.
Before the session, Jolyon Palmer noted that this is a story Alonso has been telling for a long time. Since his second title win in 2006, similar hopes went unfulfilled during stints withMcLaren (twice), Ferrari and Alpine.
“I think Fernando’s said that for 20 years, hasn’t he?” said Palmer. “He will have the fastest car!”
“It’s a bad start for them, and it will take a bit of time to come back. Maybe he will yet have the fastest car again.”
Aston Martin haven’t been thrilled with Newey’s design so far, especially after dealing with overheating issues last week. However, Newey is already working on fixes ahead of Melbourne.
The mood at Aston Martin feels heavy right now, and Alonso’s visible frustration suggests they haven’t made much progress heading into the final test.
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