Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes Fernando Alonso was solely responsible for Aston Martin’s points finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Aston Martin arrived at Zandvoort with a highly anticipated power-unit upgrade from engine partner Honda, following the introduction of a B-spec car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, the upgrades did not immediately deliver a clear improvement. Lance Stroll and Alonso finished 17th and 18th respectively in the sprint, before qualifying 18th and 19th for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Stroll retired after suffering damage during a chaotic opening lap in which Max Verstappen crashed. Alonso, meanwhile, used an aggressive one-stop strategy to finish ninth and secure two valuable points for Aston Martin, tripling the team’s season tally.
Steiner credits Alonso for Aston Martin points
Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner suggested that the result owed more to the two-time world champion’s performance than to Aston Martin’s upgraded car.
“After what I saw on Friday and Saturday in sprint qualifying and the sprint, I was like, ‘Wow, I think we overreacted a little bit to their resurgence.’ And then also the qualifying on Saturday for the race, like, ‘Wow, this is not going the right way,'” Steiner explained.
“This was a Fernando special here, doing it with one stop. That saved them. He could keep a decent pace, and what helps them at the moment is that there are really now three backmarker teams, which are far off everyone.”
Aston Martin is currently 10th in the constructors’ championship with three points, all scored by Alonso. The Spaniard sits 19th in the drivers’ standings.
Alonso says Aston Martin and Honda need more time
Alonso praised Aston Martin’s upgrades after the race but acknowledged that the team and Honda still need time to fine-tune the changes.
“In general, we’re still not in the place we want to be in terms of driveability. The downshifts and engine braking seem a little bit random, corner by corner,” the Spaniard told Sky Sports F1. “So we still need to fine-tune it and, with the deficit on power, we still lose a lot on the straights. So now that we are more or less competitive in the corners, we need to improve that. But we are trying to do all this together. “We need to give time to Honda as well to figure out what the problem is and where to fix it. So I’m happy, I’m relaxed. I trust both Silverstone and Sakura.”
Source: www.motorsport.com
