Aston Martin will want to put the 2024 season behind them after a lacklustre year finishing over 100 points behind Mercedes in fifth place.
The good news for the team is that they have finished exactly where they did last year despite having a worse season, in which neither Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll finished on the podium.
Alonso was categorical during Friday practice when he claimed the AMR24 was the ‘worst car’ he’d driven, although the team made signficant changes overnight that improved things.
The Spaniard would go on to finish in ninth, taking home the final two points of the season while Stroll was P14 having struggled with tyres for most of the weekend.
Much of Aston Martin’s coverage has been more about their off-track developments than on it this year, with the headline signing of Adrian Newey being a key stepping stone for billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll and his ambitions to win titles.
Discussing Aston Martin’s form in 2024 on Sky Sports F1 (07/12 1pm), former F1 driver Anthony Davidson believes the team needs more than just Newey to fix their problems.
Anthony Davidson claims Aston Martin needs more than Adrian Newey to fix 2024 woes
The main issue affecting Aston Martin this season has been their floor design, having tested a new version at the US GP before reverting to a specification from the Japanese GP.
F1 technical expert Gary Anderson thinks Aston Martin has been ‘stupid’ with its developments this year, while Davidson thinks it will take more than a chance in personnel for them to reap rewards.
“I think it will take more than just Adrian Newey. If you look at some drivers in top teams, along through the seasons Adrian Newey and great engineers and designers have made, they wouldn’t win F1 world championships if it wasn’t the ultimate driver in there to keep it sailing along,” said Davidson.
“So it proves that it is a combination of not just the driver and engineer, but the whole team. Adrian Newey would be nowhere if the pit stop crew were pathetic.”
Aston Martin planning 2026 regulation assault
Newey is one part of the puzzle for their assault on the 2026 regulations, having also brought in Honda as an engine supplier and key personnel from other teams.
Enrico Cardile will be joining the team from Ferrari, while former Mercedes power units boss Andy Cowell will be an important addition given his successful track record.
READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage
It is clear that Aston Martin is focusing much of its energy on perfecting its 2026 car out of the box, knowing they have some of the best F1 minds renowned for finding an exploit in the regulations.
Stroll has poured millions of pounds to ensure Aston Martin is a success going forward, and he is hoping these changes will bring him some return on investment on track.
Leave feedback about this