Fernando Alonso believes the strengths of his Aston Martin AMR24 will play in his favour at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
After finishing sixth in Japan, the two-time F1 world champion believes the strength of his Aston Martin’s DRS could manifest itself on the long straight of the Shanghai International Circuit.
F1 returns to Shanghai this weekend, five years after the last Chinese Grand Prix, the last race to return to the calendar before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Shanghai circuit has one of the longest straights in Formula 1, at 1. 2 kilometres in length, which means that cars with straight-line speed can stand out.
Alonso finished sixth at the Suzuka high-speed circuit last time out, and that “very hard DRS” may play a role in a weekend where other variables such as bad weather and the return of the script format promise to change things. order.
“I think it gives us a bit more opportunities when we have a bit of a speed deficit,” he told the media after the Australian Grand Prix.
“Mixed situations or a fast weekend, all those kinds of things give you an advantage, but it’s going to be tough. “
“I think in China, with those long corners and a limited circuit in front, like Australia, I expect Ferrari to be very fast.
“But Red Bull and. . . See.
“We have a very hard DRS and that will help us on the long Chinese straight, so let’s see. “
When asked what he based his assessment of the hierarchy on, Alonso smiled: “I drive the car on the track and I see it!”
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The two-time F1 world champion, who has signed to stay at Aston Martin as a driver for at least two more seasons and showed off his new contract between the Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix, said he believes the speed of the AMR24 still desires it. .
The team brought a small package of upgrades in Japan, adding changes to the floor, bodywork and rear wing, and Alonso said there was much more to come in the season.
“I think there’s a number of things going on with the car,” he said.
“This first package is just the foundation of what we’ll offer later in the season, so we still have a lot to look at. “
“But, as I said, we did very well on Sunday maximising points, even more than we deserve.
“The pit stops were wonderful; in fact, at the time of the stop, I saw the green light and thought: ‘Maybe they didn’t replace the 4 tyres’, because for me it’s the fastest ever.
“So there are little things here and there that pay off. But I think that, fundamentally, speed is not what we want to achieve. And that’s all we want now. “
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