Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin is lacking overall performance that tire management alone cannot compensate for at the Italian Grand Prix in Formula 1.
Aston Martin had a disappointing qualifying at Monza, with Alonso finishing in 11th place and Lance Stroll in 17th place, their worst result since the Austrian Grand Prix.
Despite this setback, Aston Martin still has a comfortable lead over the sixth-placed RB team in the constructors’ championship, but maintaining their points streak will be a challenge in the upcoming race.
While tire strategy could play a crucial role in the race, with one stop and two stop strategies both being viable options, Alonso believes the main issue for Aston Martin lies in their lack of performance compared to their rivals.
Alonso stated, “I would prefer to have upgraded aerodynamics components rather than a strategic plan at this point. However, we will have to wait and see how the race unfolds tomorrow.”
Pirelli’s motorsport director, Mario Isola, anticipates that most teams will opt for a one-stop strategy, but there may be a shift towards two stops if degradation levels differ significantly from expectations.
Isola mentioned, “The teams are leaning towards a one-stop strategy, but the inclusion of two sets of hard tires in their allocation indicates some uncertainty. There is a possibility of a two-stop strategy, although it remains marginal.”
In scenarios where the time difference between one-stop and two-stop strategies is minimal, teams tend to opt for the safer one-stop approach, as explained by Isola.
“The time difference is very close between the two strategies. If the two-stop strategy is only a few seconds faster or even equivalent to the one-stop, teams usually choose to go with the one-stop to play it safe,” Isola explained.
