Fernando Alonso: “It could be a good opportunity, Mexico could be too. There are no long straights or a very important penalty in drag”
After Sling would agree with Fernando Alonso Regarding the problems that the Asturian detected throughout the last Singapore GP with the Japanese engine, on that occasion with the deployment of electric energy, he did not want to give more details about it in the run-up to the F1 United States GP, in Austin, this time, looking towards the future and progress.
“We can’t tell everything (to the press), but we know where we need to improve and things are clear”he said in statements reported by ‘Diario AS’, at a press conference.
“There are good things coming for the future, the first thing is to understand the problems and the areas that need to be improved, and we understand them. We are aware of the things to improve, both in the chassis and in the engine, and we have to go faster in the curves and on the straights,” he said.
As for the performance he can expect from his Aston Martin AMR26 in Austin, the man from Oviedo remained expectant. “I have no idea. Las Vegas will be the worst circuit (of those left), that’s the only thing I know. But with the other five races it’s difficult. I’m optimistic here in Austin, like every Thursday, when I’m more optimistic than Saturday and Sunday. But I think it could be a good opportunity, maybe Mexico too. There are no long straights or a very important penalty in drag (drag). In Qatar there aren’t many straights either, and in Austin, only two. Las Vegas will be the bad one, but for the rest, anyone can be good,” he said.
Good things are coming for the future, the first thing is to understand the problems and the areas that need to be improved, and we understand them.
Mike Krack, optimist
For his part, Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s track manager, was also optimistic before starting to see how his car performs on the track this Friday and what they will lose per lap due to the lack of power from the Honda engine.
“I think this is a circuit in which there will be sectors in which we will be more competitive than in others,” said Krack when asked about the good performance of the car that is expected in the esses of this track. “The important thing is the overall balance of the return. We have to see if we lose time here, because then we will have to make up for it elsewhere. I am optimistic. We are going to give it our all,” expressed the Luxembourger.
There will be sectors in which we will be more competitive. But the important thing is the overall balance of the return. We have to see if we lose time here, because then we will have to make up for it elsewhere. I am optimistic
To achieve a good result, regardless of engine performance, it will be key for Aston Martin to optimize the settings of its car on a very bumpy track.
“The interesting thing is that we continue to learn a lot about the car. Sometimes you have a solid reference, a good base, and you think: ‘Okay, we start from here and then we adapt to each circuit.’ Here, for example, the asphalt is usually very bumpy. You cannot use the same settings as in Budapest, where the surface is very smooth. Even if you have a good foundation, you still have to adjust it. Sometimes you find that another effect appears and that it may be better to maintain the settings you used in Budapest to avoid side effects. But there are also circuits where the opposite happens,” Krack commented.
“I think you keep learning based on the circuit you go to. The same goes for driveability (handling).. Sometimes you have a 90 degree corner, like in Singapore, and here is the hairpin at the back of the circuit, and then you have the first sector or a braking section with a huge uphill slope… If you think you have understood everything, you should stay home“he said with a final laugh.
