Fernando Alonso is maintaining pressure on Aston Martin, as talks swirl around his upcoming contract negotiations for 2025. The 42-year-old Spaniard, rumored for potential moves to Mercedes or Red Bull, showcased his prowess by securing an impressive P4 in qualifying and finishing P5 in Saudi Arabia.
Pedro de la Rosa, Alonso’s close associate, and current Aston Martin team ambassador, emphasized the human element in Alonso’s performance, suggesting that his skill surpasses what the data alone might predict. De la Rosa implied that Alonso’s driving prowess is exceeding expectations, highlighting the need for continual improvement from the team.
Alonso echoed this sentiment, acknowledging progress from Bahrain to Jeddah but stressing the need for further development to challenge competitors like McLaren and Mercedes. He emphasized the importance of finding solutions to improve race performance, particularly in addressing excessive tire degradation.
De la Rosa concurred, identifying tire degradation as a key issue to resolve, alongside the need to overcome setbacks from last year’s stalled car development program. He stressed the necessity of implementing changes and improvements to stay competitive in Formula 1.
Aston Martin’s focus is on continuous improvement, with de la Rosa indicating ongoing upgrades in the pipeline. However, he acknowledged the challenge of keeping pace with other teams’ advancements, emphasizing the need for Aston Martin’s upgrades to match or exceed those of their rivals to maintain competitiveness.
