P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Fernando Alonso identifies ‘big’ reason behind poor Aston Martin start
Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin’s limited participation in the private shakedown in Barcelona played a crucial role in the team’s struggles during the first pre-season test in Bahrain. The team’s lack of running in Barcelona resulted in being “on the back foot,” with the slowest lap times and fewest laps completed among all F1 teams in Bahrain. Aston Martin faced various car and power unit issues, causing them to fall behind competitors who had more testing time. While Williams excelled in Bahrain despite missing Spain, the aggressive design of Aston Martin’s car is believed to be challenging for the Honda engine. Due to continuous issues affecting their testing program, Alonso highlighted the importance of consistent running to unlock performance potential as other teams did during filming days or early testing in Barcelona.
