Aston Martin’s struggles in Formula 1 continued, with Lance Stroll offering a bleak assessment of the team’s progress. Stroll’s response to whether the team had made any progress since last week was a simple ‘No’. He also said ‘No’ when asked whether being able to complete more laps in Shanghai than in Melbourne made him feel any better.
Stroll’s Blunt Assessment After Qualifying
Lance Stroll, when facing the media after qualifying in China, didn’t elaborate much. He only outqualified Sergio Perez, who had an issue with his car during the session. Stroll ended up 21st on the timesheet with a 2.8s gap to the fastest time in Q1 set by Charles Leclerc.
When asked if there was any positive, Stroll responded, ‘Right now, not much, no’. Stroll’s qualifying result could be seen as an improvement compared to Melbourne, where he couldn’t even leave the garage due to an engine issue.
Aston Martin’s struggles were evident in sprint qualifying as well. Stroll and Fernando Alonso were out after the first segment. They only finished ahead of the Cadillac drivers on the sprint grid.
Alonso’s Goal: Reaching the Chequered Flag
Fernando Alonso’s goal for Sunday’s race is to try to finish the race. ‘To try to finish the race,’ Alonso said when asked about the target for the main race in Shanghai. ‘It would be good to see the chequered flag for the first time.’
Alonso noted that both cars completed the full distance of the sprint race, which was 19 laps. He hopes at least one of the two cars can achieve the same in the main race.
Aston Martin’s Performance in China
- Stroll qualified 21st, 2.8s off the fastest Q1 time.
- Both Aston Martin drivers were eliminated in the first segment of sprint qualifying.
- Stroll and Alonso finished 17th and 18th in the sprint race, with three retirements.
The Saturday morning short race saw Stroll and Alonso cross the line 17th and 18th with three retirements. On a positive note, they at least completed the full distance of 19 laps.
Alonso hopes to see the chequered flag during the main race.