The 2024 F1 season is right around the corner and Aston Martin driver, Fernando Alonso is already prepping himself up for his 2st year in the sport. From the very first impressions of the 2024 car, that the Spaniard got to test on the team’s simulator, Alonso has admitted a steep learning curve that he hopes to master before racing action begins in March.
In the modern era, very strict testing restrictions are in place. Hence, the drivers don’t really get to break into their new cars before the official pre-season testing begins in February. That’s why, it isn’t uncommon to see the drivers put in countless laps on the simulators to get accustomed with their machinery.
Locked in. No distractions.#AMR24 pic.twitter.com/QaVyWpc64N
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) January 18, 2024
The 42-year-old himself explained the importance of having simulator sessions in the winter-break building up to the start of the new season. Formule1.nl quoted him as saying,
“The simulator is a very important tool in Formula 1 nowadays. We therefore have a very realistic car. This way we can try out things that only exist as an idea before we actually develop them. The simulator is so precise and so realistic that you can really feel everything, for example the tire pressure or the vibrations when you drive over the curbs.”
And so, as Alonso got his first few laps in on the new car, he had one stabbing revelation to make. As it turns out, in certain load conditions, in the higher gears, the steering of the latest Aston Martin car feels heavier to him than usual. However, he is comfortable getting used to it and is optimistic about this year as he claimed, “2023 was a great year. 2024 will be even better.”
After rollercoaster 2023, Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso optimistic about 2024
The 2023 season started off with an unexpected bang at the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain. While many expected the AMR23 to be fast, no one expected Alonso to put the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes to shame as he clinched a surprise, yet well-deserved podium.
Since then, the team kept their form up, bagging multiple top three finishes. Many touted Alonso to quickly catch up to Red Bull and get his hands on that elusive 33rd race win. He came close during the 2023 Monaco GP. However, a few regressive upgrades later, the team lost ground in the developmental race and eventually finished 5th in the Constructors’ standings.
This isn’t just a numbers game. Real drivers, stop scrolling and listen up.
12.02.24#AstonMartin #DrivingAtTheLimit
— Aston Martin (@astonmartin) January 29, 2024
That being said, the team is high on spirits and optimistic about the year to come. “I see only positives,” declared Alonso with the hindsight of 2023, as quoted by The Guardian. His team principal, Mike Krack, is cautiously optimistic, too but has a pillar of hope in the form of the team’s owner, Canadian billionaire, Lawrence Stroll.
Stroll’s big bucks and extensive investment into the team have really given the Silverstone based team a great foundation, in terms of expenditure, infrastructure and morale. And according to Krack it is only a testament to how passionate Stroll is about the team and the sport.
