Aston Martin enforce new ‘rule’ after Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s US GP
Max Verstappen wins third consecutive Formula One world championship
A new rule has been put in place by Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack after both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll started the US Grand Prix from the pit lane. The Silverstone-based team took the decision after making a set-up change under parc ferme conditions – the Formula One rule that will allow limited alterations to a car under strict supervision.
Having made the call, Alonso’s car was reverted back to the same specification he had at the Qatar Grand Prix, while teammate Stroll stayed on the new car with an updated floor.
The Canadian finished the race in ninth place but was bumped up to seventh after both Lewis Hamilton and Charles LeClerc were disqualified.
Two-time world champion Alonso has also been on for a points finish but was forced to retire six laps from the finish due to damage to his floor.
Speaking to the media after the race (as per RacingNews365), Krack said: “You have to accept that after three days of really hard work, there is a couple of smiling faces in the garage and this is also well deserved.
“But you have also to see what the missed opportunity might have been, and this is the reality.”
Aston Martin’s problems appeared to stem from a lack of time to get the best out of their new car set-up, due in part to the US Grand Prix being a designated Sprint weekend. And it is for this reason that Krack confirmed that going forward the team would not introduce major car updates on the weekend of a Sprint race.
“The fact is that on Friday we should have done our homework. We didn’t do it and we had the consequences all over the weekend,” he said.
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“Now, there is always the rule: don’t bring the upgrades to the Sprint weekend. Nevertheless, when you take the decision to do it you know what the risks are, then you cannot complain when it happens. But it’s another lesson learnt. “
Stroll’s seventh-placed finish moved him onto 53 points for the season, still well adrift of teammate Alonso, who despite not scoring in Austin, Texas, remains fourth in the drivers’ championship on 183 points behind Hamilton, Sergio Perez and runaway championship winner Max Verstappen.
Aston Martin had hoped to finish second in the drivers’ championship this season but have seen their form from the first half of the season slowly drop off since the summer. The team has dropped to fifth in the constructors’ championship after being leap-frogged by McLaren thanks to Lando Norris’ second-placed finish in Texas.
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