2024-02-12 08:01:00
(Motorsport-Total.com) – Will Aston Martin achieve its first victory with the AMR24 in the 2024 Formula 1 season? This is the declared goal for the season of the British racing team from Silverstone, which officially presented the new car driven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll on Monday (February 12th).
Will the Aston Martin AMR24 be a winning car in Formula 1?
Team boss Mike Krack said at the presentation of the Aston Martin AMR24: “We want to regularly fight for points, podium places and for our first victory in green in 2024.” And star driver Alonso can identify with that very well. The two-time world champion only makes a small addition: “Hopefully I’ll be the one who gets this victory!”
Aston Martin created the conditions for this in a real show of strength, emphasizes Krack. The AMR24 is the first Formula 1 car that was completely built in the expanded Aston Martin campus in Silverstone, i.e. with the help of the new infrastructure that had been under construction for years under team owner Lawrence Stroll and was only delayed by the corona pandemic has become operational.
“We are therefore proud to be able to present the AMR24,” says Krack. “This means the team can take another step forward in the 2024 season.”
During the winter break, his team was “hyper-focused” on implementing “improvements in all areas” and tackling the issues “that really matter,” assures Krack. This means: “Practically all facets of the car have been revised and optimized. We learned our lessons in 2023 and further developed our strengths.”
Is the Aston Martin AMR24 a completely new development?
In terms of paint, there are no surprises on the new car. The AMR24 also comes in “British Racing Green” and, as with most Formula 1 cars of the current generation, there are some black spots.
But how much AMR23 is technically in the new Aston Martin AMR24? That’s one of the questions that observers ask themselves when they see the first pictures of the new car. Dan Fallows, Technical Director, says: “The AMR24 is fundamentally a clear evolution of last year’s car. We have practically followed on from the final form of the AMR23.”
Photo series: Formula 1 2024: Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin AMR24
On the other hand, Aston Martin has made changes “everywhere on the car” for 2024 and “the majority of the parts” are new, says Fallows. The result is a “lighter, aerodynamically efficient racing car” that also has a wider application window on a wider range of race tracks.
Or in a nutshell, according to Fallows: “The AMR24 differs from the AMR23 in many ways. Because even under stable regulations there are endless possibilities for improvement. And so the AMR24 looks quite different from the AMR23 with many new parts.”
What new is it Aston Martin AMR24
Some of it can be seen with the naked eye. “The most obvious changes are the nose and the front wing,” explains Fallows. “The bodywork also looks different, the chassis design is new. There are also a lot of new things under the hood. But we want to keep that under wraps.”
The Aston Martin technical director reveals a little more details about the suspension after there was speculation about a change in concept before the presentation of the AMR24. But this has not been implemented, at least on the front axle, says Fallows.
He says: “The front suspension is similar to the AMR23, so still a pushrod concept. However, we have [hinten] a new [Schubstangen-] Suspension received from Mercedes. We get the transmission and the rear suspension, and that has changed slightly compared to 2023. So there’s a change at the back, but at the front it’s very similar.”
The presented AMR24 is seen as a “basic version”
And as technical director, Fallows immediately emphasizes one thing: the AMR24 will change significantly over the course of the season. In other words: The racing car presented is a “basic version” or “just the first step,” as Fallows puts it. Addendum: “This year we want to play in the development race until the end of the season.”
The new AMR24 is supposed to make this possible as a “good development platform,” explains Fallows. “That’s what we focused on in the design and we executed it well.” In general, the AMR24 represents “advancement” compared to last year’s car. “And we are satisfied with what we have achieved here,” says the head of technology.
Krack is also confident and says that his team has “turned over every stone” in preparation for the 2024 season and, despite the “great 2023 season with a lot of positive things,” has once again put “all areas” to the test: the car, the processes, the reliability.
“It was important to make progress in all directions,” says Krack. Postscript: “We hope we’ve done enough so that we have a strong car.”
Aston Martin driver Stroll recognizes “good starting position”
Both drivers have already tried out the new AMR24 virtually in the simulator. But even before the first “real” outing immediately following the presentation in Silverstone, Stroll in particular is optimistic that his team has managed to “fix the weak points [des AMR23] for 2024 and to further develop the strengths”.
Stroll: “We’re still a young team, but we’re growing up quickly. And we want to continue to build on the results from last year. Especially in the last part of the season, we made good progress and learned more about the car. That’s what puts us ahead “We are in a good starting position for the 2024 season. I for one can hardly wait to finally get started.”
Alonso feels ‘better than ever’ at 42
Alonso, in turn, sees above all “so many questions that we have to answer during testing and in the first races.” But he is already “incredibly proud” of the entire team and their work “in such a short time,” said Alonso. “And I’m not just talking about progress on the racetrack, but also about all the investments off it in our campus.”
The ex-champion continued: “I always enjoy the phase before a new racing season, and this year I will be contesting my 21st season as a racing driver in Formula 1.” But even at 42, Alonso expressly feels “better than ever” and also attributes this to special “upgrades” in the Aston Martin team.
The racing team has hired nutritionists for the 2024 season, specifically to prepare the drivers even more for success. Alonso: “We are trying to learn from our weaknesses, get fitter every year and be better prepared for the longest Formula 1 season to date.” A few weeks before the start of the season he could get “all of these points [als] checked off.” “And that’s always good.”
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