Aston Martin works at dawn to improve Fernando Alonso's car, fifth in the standings

The departure of Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes at the end of the season will generate a domino effect that keeps several drivers on the Formula 1 World Championship grid agitated. The arrival of the Briton to Ferrari in 2025 also coincides in time with the most turbulent stage. in the history of Red Bull, as a consequence of the internal division in the red buffalo structure, discovered following accusations of inappropriate behavior against Christian Horner, its director, by one of the company's employees. Both episodes open the possibility that the world champions who have shared the last seven consecutive crowns leave their cars with a view to next year. This eventuality, together with the need that some members of the grid have to find accommodation, means that the majority of teams are already focused on specifying what are their preferential options. Aston Martin's priority is to retain Fernando Alonso, who at 42 years old shows no signs of exhaustion or boredom.

After a first experience (2023) dressed in green that went much better than a priori could have been expected – he finished fourth in the points table, with eight podiums in his locker –, the best result for the Spaniard in the first three stops of the calendar is the fifth position in which he finished in Jeddah. In Bahrain, the inaugural event, Alonso finished ninth, while two weeks ago, in Australia, he finished eighth, after receiving a 20-second penalty for an incident with George Russell. The start of his second year at Aston Martin has not been as brilliant as the first, a circumstance that the Silverstone (Great Britain) team intends to remedy as soon as possible, starting this weekend in Japan. James Bond's favorite brand delivered to Suzuka a generous package of improvements with which he hopes to revitalize the AMR24. The most relevant new features focus on the flat bottom, the diffuser and the side pontoons. Lance Stroll already tested these pieces on the first day of rehearsals, on Friday, while Alonso also received them on Saturday. To incorporate them, the technicians had to work during the night, a circumstance that led them to break the curfew, the first time that the regulations validated, without sanction. The effort was worth it if we consider that the two-time world champion with Renault (2005 and 2006) was just four tenths away from the record that led Verstappen to win his fourth consecutive pole – all of which have been put into play in 2024 – . The man from Oviedo will start fifth (at 07:00, Dazn), just behind Carlos Sainz, who will start fourth.

In his first year at Aston Martin, Alonso seemed to swear eternal love for the team that opted for him and that offered him a way out during his time at Alpine. Now that there are other destinations that can be interpreted as more attractive, that unconditionality has been tempered. From the offices, Lawrence Stroll, the main shareholder of the group, directs an operation that aims to reposition his brand at the level of Red Bull or Ferrari, whatever the cost. Months after inaugurating the new factory, in front of the Silverstone circuit, and having signed the contract with Honda to use Japanese engines from 2026, the hiring of Bob Bell, a renowned engineer who had a career at McLaren, was made official. Mercedes and Renault, as CEO.

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Carlos' victory in Australia and the Sainz's “crazy year”

The expansion that Stroll intends to carry out leaves no one safe. In fact, Autosport made public a few days ago an alleged offer that the Canadian tycoon would have made to Adrian Newey, technical director of Red Bull, and one of the most influential engineers in the history of the event. In today's F1, the Briton's stroke – he still works with pencil and paper – is as decisive as Verstappen's driving ability. “Newey is a designer who is loved by many. In fact, he is the one everyone wants to have. I don't think this offer was the first one he received, nor the last one he will receive," Helmut Marko, one of the most relevant figures in the sports organization chart of the energy drinks company, told the same publication. Asked about this hypothetical operation, Mike Krack, head of Aston Martin, stated that he was very satisfied with the staff he has at his disposal. “We have a very strong technical group with Dan [Fallows, head of aerodynamics], Tom [McCullough, performance director] and Luca [Furbatto, head of engineering]. And recently Bob Bell joined us. “We are quite happy with what we have at the moment,” Krack responded to the Sky Sports microphones.

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— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2024

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