Fernando Alonso performed admirably this season at Aston Martin and scored the majority of the team’s points.
The two-time world champion scored 70 of the 94 points Aston Martin scored, a significant margin over Lance Stroll, who sometimes struggles.
Alonso was very reliable in qualifying, breaking into Q3 16 times over the 24 rounds, contributing to his consistent points-scoring finishes.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
666 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
652 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
589 |
| 4 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
468 |
| 5 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
94 |
| 6 |
Alpine F1 Team |
65 |
| 7 |
Haas F1 Team |
58 |
| 8 |
Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team |
46 |
| 9 |
Williams F1 Team |
17 |
| 10 |
Sauber F1 Team |
4 |
The Spaniard was very fast, and Alonso matched Max Verstappen in terms of team dominance as both drivers were much faster than their teammates, Stroll and Sergio Perez.
He dragged Aston Martin to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship despite some difficult weekends towards the end of the year as Haas and Alpine improved.
Alonso exceeded the team’s expectations, but Antonio Lobato doubts how helpful his pace was in helping Aston Martin develop their car.
Fernando Alonso ‘confused’ Aston Martin as he was much quicker than Lance Stroll
Aston Martin’s car had some deficiencies this season, particularly in top speed, where it suffered from too much drag. This made life difficult at circuits such as Monza, where aerodynamic efficiency is vital.
Alonso scored top-10 finishes throughout much of the early part of the season before a more difficult run in Europe.
He scored points in the first six rounds of the world championship, but Aston Martin’s development rate was too slow to keep up with McLaren and Mercedes.
Alonso was frustrated but can’t call 2024 a bad a year because the British team signed designer Adrian Newey and are progressing with a new factory.
The team need to improve next season, and Lobato feels Alonso may have confused Aston Martin as there was such a big difference between him and Stroll.
READ MORE: Fernando Alonso explains how he’ll know exactly when he needs to retire from Formula 1
He told SoyMotor: “If you do the maths of how many times he has put the car into Q3 and how many times he put the car in the points throughout the season, you say it’s impossible. Physically and scientifically, it is inexplicable, but he’s done it.
“He has broken all the expectations of Aston Martin, but I think it has had a harmful effect because it confused them even more. After all, I think it has made them think about some moments when the car was better than it was and the car was a disaster.”
Aston Martin may need to drop Lance Stroll to challenge closer to the front
Stroll has struggled to match Alonso during their time as teammates since the start of 2023 and hasn’t scored a podium.
Alonso scored six podiums in the first eight races last year, and Stroll couldn’t keep up with and take advantage of Aston Martin’s competitive car.
Stroll is consistently slower than Alonso, and Aston Martin may need to look for a driver who can consistently compete at the front.
Teams such as McLaren and Ferrari have two very strong drivers, which is a key reason why they battled for the Constructors’ Championship.
Gian Carlo Minardi feels it’s ‘absurd’ for Aston Martin to keep Stroll as he continues to underperform and make errors.
Stroll is unlikely to be dropped as he seems to have an untouchable position in the driver line-up, and his dad owns the team.
