For Aston Martin, the margin is “very slim” with Mercedes and McLaren

The battle between McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin continues with the Grands Prix at the beginning of the season, as the gap is narrow between the three teams. Currently, Papai has an advantage over their other two competitors. However, Aston Martin is far from laying down its weapons and is keen to grab a few points in China to get back into the standings.

“We are in a tight fight with McLaren and Mercedes on the line and the margins are close, meaning a good stop or a good strategic decision can bring extra points,” emphasizes Tom McCullough, executive director of Aston Martin.

With the recent addition of Fernando Alonso, the British clan appear to be over-motivated ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. The question surrounding the second seat for 2025 was quickly ignored, which now allowed the team to fully focus on the athlete.

“We will work together with Fernando for a few more seasons and for the next era of regulation, in 2026exults Tom McCullough. Since his arrival, his skills and experience have proven to be invaluable in our fight forward. I know I speak for the entire team when I say we are excited to continue our journey together. »

“This is the longest contract I have ever signed in my career. Something that will keep me connected to Aston Martin for many years to come.”

🎙 @alo_official pic.twitter.com/pbHsrGbLRT

– Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) April 12, 2024

China, as a new beginning

A little behind its direct competitors, Aston Martin can take advantage of the Chinese Grand Prix to create a surprise. Formula 1’s last trip to Chinese soil was in 2019, meaning that all teams have no data from the circuit. Additionally, the fact that this fifth meeting of the season is a short race weekend limits the number of Free Practice sessions. With the new Sprint format, drivers will have just one hour to familiarize themselves with the Shanghai track and their car. Then everything will come down to the smallest details, the smallest adjustments to the car.

« This is the first time the current cars have run at this circuit, so we don’t have much comparative data to study, continues the British engineer. We will rely heavily on our simulation tools to make sure we have a good base setup at the start of the weekend, but we already understand how the tires perform in the long corners. »

Shanghai’s international circuit can hold its share of surprises. Indeed, it should change a lot at the end of the week due to the fact that it no longer participates in many races, and it should, in addition, put the Pirelli tires to the test.

“The circuit is a real test for the cars as there is a good mix of low speed and high speed corners, investigate Tom McCullough. This is a track where the left front tire can suffer especially in the long corners like turn 1. We expect to see a big change to the circuit in China, due to the lack of racing on the circuit in recent years. »

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