Behind the scenes, the Aston Martin team has focused on the future, conducting numerous comparative tests and data collection during free practice sessions. With their ranking in the standings fairly set, the team has chosen to use the second half of the season to understand what went wrong in development and to set a better direction for the next Formula 1 championship.
During free practice in Mexico, Felipe Drugovich stepped in for Fernando Alonso to complete the mandatory rookie session, running with data-gathering equipment on his car. Notably, he was not using the full updated package introduced in Austin but rather a blend of older and newer components. For example, the side pods were not the latest versions but rather the previous specification.
This approach continued for both cars throughout the weekend in Mexico, with a mix of elements, some recent and some older, as confirmed by Aston Martin’s team principal, Mike Krack. He explained that certain parts were unsuitable, so they experimented with several configurations and ultimately decided to retain only specific updates, such as the newly introduced front wing from Austin, while reverting the floor to Suzuka’s specification, which has consistently performed better throughout the season.
A revised floor package was first introduced at Imola but proved challenging to handle and was discarded after only a few races. The team then returned to the Suzuka floor at the British Grand Prix, finding both improved competitiveness and ease of handling for the drivers. Another revised floor was tested in Budapest, but it was ultimately set aside after only a few races, with Alonso already reverting to the Suzuka floor by Azerbaijan for its better feel.
This pattern has marked Aston Martin’s season, as developments have not always met expectations, leading them to repeatedly fall back on the Suzuka floor. In a season marked by fluctuating results, the British team has strived to re-establish a clear path in development but has sometimes been forced to retrace their steps. This has also been the case for other teams, like Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes, which have reverted to previous floor designs at times, underscoring the difficulty of staying on the right development path.
Given this, Aston Martin has chosen to “sacrifice” portions of free practice sessions to better understand each package, test configurations, and guide development for 2025. The AMR24 currently lacks absolute downforce and stability. Interestingly, this instability was already evident last season when Aston Martin attempted to increase pure downforce, which disrupted the car’s balance. While improving downforce is a common objective, maintaining equilibrium across all car components is equally essential.
Mike Krack noted that even though some parts from the latest package were shelved for the Mexican Grand Prix, they may return depending on track-specific requirements for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season. For example, high-speed tracks may prompt different choices than tracks like Las Vegas, which features many low-speed turns.
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