Aston Martin confirms suspicions
The AMR25 shows promise in fast sections but struggles in slow corners, putting the team at risk of slipping further behind in the midfield battle.
The debut of the AMR25 brought more concerns than optimism. Lance Stroll managed a sixth-place finish and picked up eight unexpected points, while Fernando Alonso was running in the top 10 before his crash. But once the grid stabilizes and rookies settle into their natural positions, Aston Martin may find itself as the eighth-best car on the grid, ahead of only Sauber and Haas.
The team is currently in a tight battle with Alpine for seventh place, which could be achievable at certain circuits. However, it lags significantly behind Williams and Racing Bulls, who have emerged as the new midfield leaders.
Aston Martin’s problem with slow corners
Alonso’s car performs well in high-speed sections but struggles in slow corners. During qualifying at Albert Park, Aston Martin lost three-tenths of a second in the final sector alone compared to Yuki Tsunoda’s RB. That’s a major issue, as slow corners are where the most time can be gained or lost – simply because cars spend more time navigating them.
While Silverstone’s factory is fully focused on 2026, and Adrian Newey won’t be paying attention to the AMR25, the team will still introduce some upgrades in the coming races. This was confirmed to AS by Andy Cowell, Aston Martin’s new team principal:
“We’re working on developments right now. Everyone faces limitations in CFD, wind tunnel usage, and budget caps, so it’s a challenge to decide what to work on and where to invest to improve the car. We take a mixed approach – starting Monday, I’ll be at the factory discussing key areas to focus on to find more performance. Whether it’s speed, reliability, or procedural issues, there are details we can improve.”
Regarding the AMR25’s struggles in slow corners, Cowell is awaiting further analysis:
“It could be that in the first two (faster) sectors, the car was strong and then lost time in the third, or maybe we’re overusing the tires, or it could just be a characteristic of this car. We’re trying to figure it out right now.”
Cautious optimism heading into China
Cowell insists the team remains grounded while searching for solutions:
“We stay realistic and focus on finding answers. In Q1, we had some good sectors, but in Q2, we struggled. We need to understand why. Fernando’s pace in the five laps before his crash was very competitive, to the point that we decided to push. So, there is performance in the car.”
A similar challenge awaits this weekend in China, a circuit that features long straights, fast corners, and slow turns.
“China is another challenge, and the weather is expected to be cold. It has a wide variety of corners. We’ll try to apply what we learned last weekend and optimize the car for Shanghai,” Cowell explained.
Back in 2024, Aston Martin had one of its last standout moments in China, with Alonso qualifying third and running as high as second during the race.
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