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Fernando Alonso feels that Aston Martin has made a step forward with the car this season, even though their exact place in the pecking order is yet to be known. The Silverstone-based squad made impressive strides last season when, out of the blue, the car was a serial podium contender.
In the first half of the season, Alonso more or less had the second-fastest car on the grid and reaped the benefits of it. Overall, the Spaniard scored eight podiums last season in what was a massive jump for the team in terms of competitiveness. Aston Martin did, however, stagnate a bit last year and saw teams such as Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren leapfrog them in terms of competitiveness.
Having said that, the pre-season test has started positively and the car looked good on track. Looking back at the recently concluded test, Alonso felt that the car was a step up from last season.
In the team's press release, the 42-year-old said:
“We have tried to learn as much as possible during this test and focused on ourselves. It would be nice to have the predictions and knowledge of where everyone is but that is not the case in testing. The AMR24 is a step forward from last year and we just have to see how big of a step forward we have taken compared to everybody else."
He added:
"We will know more next week after Qualifying. It was good to get a number of laps on the board over the three days and I feel fit and ready to go for the start of the new season.”
Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin boss excited for the upcoming season
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack shared Fernando Alonso's outlook, as he feels that the team gained an understanding of what it can expect from the car going forward.
Krack believes that the car is an upgrade compared to last year's model, and he is looking forward to the start of the season in Bahrain to validate the team's findings. In the team's press release, he said:
The AMR24 has run reliably and we have a good understanding of how the car is working. We have validated that we have taken a step forward over the winter – delivering gains and performance in key areas."
The 51-year-old added:
"It is a long season ahead and we have multiple projects in development – some of which are very promising. We respect the competition, and this test has demonstrated that the whole grid will be incredibly close this season - but we are excited for what is ahead.
Fernando Alonso will be hoping for a better season in 2024 as Aston Martin continues on the growth trajectory towards the front of the grid. He finished fourth in the driver's standings last year with 206 points.
