Lance Stroll, the Canadian Aston Martin driver and native Montrealer, secured an impressive points finish at his home race during the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix. Despite starting from P9, he battled through challenging conditions, including changing weather and tire strategies, to claim a respectable P7 at the checkered flag. Stroll emphasized the difficulty of the race, highlighting the importance of making the right tire choices and predicting the ever-changing forecast.
Aston Martin “still have a lot of work to do” with AMR24 despite being “pretty strong all weekend” at F1 Canadian GP — Stroll https://t.co/y8f2b2rP0v
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He also mentioned the treacherous nature of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where even a small mistake could lead to disaster due to the close proximity of the walls. Stroll’s Aston Martin teammate, Fernando Alonso, secured sixth place, contributing to a positive weekend for the team.
Lance Stroll said, “We’re quick in a straight-line, not so much downforce, efficient, good DRS switch, all these things, which is good for Canada.
“We capitalized on a weekend where the car was pretty strong all weekend. And we’ll see in Barcelona, a very different kind of track, but we’ll see what we can do there.”
“No, I think we still have a lot of work to do to sort out the balance limitations, and keep putting downforce on it, too.”
However, Stroll attributed their success to the track-specific characteristics that favored their car. Aston Martin performed well on the straight-line speed, although they lacked downforce compared to other teams. Looking ahead to the next race in Barcelona, Stroll acknowledged the different challenges posed by that circuit and emphasized the need to address balance limitations and increase downforce on the AMR24.
Aston Martin Boss admits the setback
Last year, the Silverstone-based team surprised many with Fernando Alonso achieving several podium finishes. However, this season, they’ve faced challenges, and Alonso has noted that they’re no longer among the top five teams in F1. Despite this setback, Mike Krack, the team principal, remains optimistic about their potential to return to the podium.
“Yes, I think so,” he affirmed when asked about returning to the podium. “I am convinced that we can. The question is when.”
“You are constantly rushing to get the parts and it is never fast enough,” he mentioned. “So you have to be patient. There’s also no point in complaining that other pieces aren’t ready yet, as we still have plenty of races ahead of us.”
Krack acknowledges that aerodynamic development is crucial for performance in Formula 1, but it takes time to implement improvements. The busy race schedule, including the upcoming triple-header, adds complexity to making quick adjustments. Krack emphasizes the need for patience and perspective, recalling how last year’s perception of progress differed from their current situation.
Regarding media pressure, Krack highlights the importance of measured responses. While journalists inquire about updates, he aims to avoid hasty judgments of the team’s performance. Aston Martin continues to develop infrastructure, collaborate with partners like Honda, and maintain a positive outlook despite the challenges.
