Aston Martin took a big step forward two weeks ago in Brazilian F1 GP, extracting even better performance from his car with a combination of parts from his new aerodynamics package shown in Austin and other old parts. The Asturian took advantage of this to achieve a stunning podium finish with a ‘photo finish’ match ‘Checo’ Pérez. However, the performance of the car from Oviedo and the result is directly conditioned by how well the car adapts to the characteristics of São Paulo. In that sense, Fernando Alonso not taking that into account Las Vegaswith long straights (one of which is 1.9 km, it doesn’t seem to be a favorable route for the Aston Martin due to its lower point on the straight and its worse aerodynamic efficiency compared to other rival cars. Therefore, the Spaniard greatly lowered expectations after the optimism shown by the team in recent weeks, after the podium of Brazil.
“It would be nice to win the first race in this new season at the Las Vegas GP, but I think it’s unlikely to happen”said Fernando Alonso at the official FIA press conference at the Las Vegas GP, after an opening ceremony worthy of a Super Bowl show.
“This is not a circuit that is among our favorites (for Aston Martin), because of the aerodynamic package we have now. To be honest, I don’t think (the win) will happen,” declared Fernando, who does not believe that Max will have a rival this weekend on a track that should suit Red Bull perfectly.
Instead of thinking about another complex podium, Alonso wants to continue to take advantage of the last two races of the year at different tracks such as Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi to continue testing his car and make essential data and conclusions for creating the 2024 car .be your biggest goal. He acknowledges that the two events in Austin and Mexico provided key data even if it was at the cost of poor results. And now he wants to continue collecting data.
“We have to wait and see how it goes in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi to make better conclusions. These two races are important to understand the car, especially for next year (2024, with the same regulations). Perhaps this circuit will be difficult for us, with many straights. But hopefully we can see a better performance here and in Abu Dhabi.”Alonso added compared to what was seen in Mexico and Austin before Brazil.
Alonso knows that in Las Vegas he must suffer. And for example, a lot can be expected from an AlphaTauri to take a step forward. Furthermore, Ferrari must be stronger than Brazil. And maybe other teams like Williams or Haas and Alfa Romeo because of the power of their Ferrari engine. Q2 and Q3 are very expensive at this point in the season and the parity is huge between them all at once. This, combined with the characteristics of this track which are not in Aston Martin’s favour, could take Alonso from qualifying 3rd in Sao Paulo to suffering from entering Q2 or Q3 this weekend. So is F1 except for Verstappen, who makes the difference with his tremendous race pace.
The doubt of Las Vegas
However, Las Vegas presents greater doubts. You can’t jump to conclusions or go to preconceived ideas until the cars hit the track and see the evolution of the asphalt. It is true that the big straights are not a good scenario for the Aston Martin, but there are many other elements where Fernando scrapes a few tenths through pure experience and hands. The Asturian is one of the drivers making the biggest difference alongside Verstappen on the new routes. His adaptation is faster and, if the track is complex and improves more throughout qualifying, Fernando can make the difference as he has done in other classifications with track changes this season. That could give him options to maximize his result on Sunday.
Another important point is the temperature of the tires. Las Vegas is located in a desert, in Nevada. Thinking about this Grand Prix, no one knows how much the temperature can drop in the middle of the desert in the middle of November. Since it is a night race, the temperature can be around 10 degrees Celsius. The rink can be ice and be a skating rink. And if there is a break, it is very difficult to fight between the walls with cold tires. In addition, drivers have to deal with hard braking with cold tires after a very long straight. Alonso could try to gain a few extra tenths with his hands in these delicate conditions. Furthermore, it can lead to accidents, safety vehicles and situations where Fernando Alonso can fish in troubled waters.
“Being an urban circuit and very little load, Braking confidence will be very important. And since there are no support races this weekend (no F2 or F3) we have to see the evolution of the track (it opens to traffic during the day) and that is the same for everyone, because Each lap will be better than the last, no two will be the same. We have to adapt to the changing grip. We need to see at what temperature level (of wheels) We lost in the long straight, because we came from races where it was the opposite, where we had to be careful in the heat. This Friday we will have more answers.”argued Fernando Alonso, hoping to be able to “build confidence” in the walls of Las Vegas in three free practice sessions.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
