Aston Martin set to mix and match F1 upgrades for Brazil GP

The Spaniard and team-mate Lance Stroll have endured a difficult run of races since new developments arrived at the United States Grand Prix.

Neither driver has been particularly happy with the balance of the car, and things were not helped by the team getting struck by brake problems in FP1 at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas that ultimately derailed its weekend there.

But ahead of a sprint race event in Brazil, where there will be little time to play around with parts or set-up, Alonso says the squad will likely commit to a “combination” of old and new designs that it knows are definitely working.

“We have a lot of data obviously from the last two events, and we’ve been experimenting a little bit with the car and the set-up and the packages,” he said at Interlagos.

“I think we have some clear idea now, some better conclusions after the two events, which of the package and which parts of the package are working better in certain circuits in certain corners.

“For here, because it's a sprint, we will try to commit to something from FP1 and stay with that, and that will be the best package for this circuit.”

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23, leaves the garage

While the latest Aston Martin upgrade package has not produced an uptick in results, there have been flashes of potential – especially when Stroll charged to the points from a pitlane start at the United States Grand Prix.

Asked if Aston Martin’s issue was mainly a set-up problem, Alonso said: “I think these cars are very complex. So, there are a combination of things. 

“One is the set-up that has to be optimised for each circuit. Then qualifying pace is extremely important with the tight grid as it is at the moment. 

“If you start on the front train of cars, you can follow that pace. If you start at the back, the traffic is hurting the downforce, the tyres, the temperatures, all these kinds of things. So yeah, small details can make a huge difference. 

“That is maybe also why we are not super concerned or panicking or anything like that, because we know that the pace is there, as we saw in Austin. 

“We are not putting everything together on the weekend lately, but hopefully in Brazil, we have another chance.”