Eighth position for Fernando Alonso at the end of the Belgian GP. Points that are air for the 'Aston Martin. A definite start to the season undertone for the English team. The constant updates brought almost every weekend have not always given advantages. There are many differences between the factory data and those on the track, but with this performance Lawrence Stroll's team seems a little came back to life.
Important points for Alonso: “Focusing on a single stop has paid off”
Earlier in the Belgian weekend, Alonso had outlined Aston's objectives. We were talking about reach Q3 in qualification and the points area in competition. For his part, the Spaniard can be fully satisfied with his weekend as he achieved his aspirations. However, there was a choice made in the middle of the race that allowed him to reach the Top 10: the one-stop strategy. He spoke about this post-race: “I can only be satisfied with eighth place and with having collected these 4 points. It wasn't easy, it was a very hard-fought race. Before leaving we had many strategies in mind. We decided to extend the stint with the Mediums and then try to manage the Hards. This choice comes from the thought of a possible Safety Car. When it didn't arrive we thought we'd go through with it and the choice paid off. Now I want to rest and recharge for the last 10 races. There is still a lot to do and work on to improve in the second part of the season.".
Stroll also makes a single stop: both Astons with different results from Russell
Alonso's choice was also shared by his teammate Lance stroll. The Canadian opted for a single stop, and this strategy was about to take him into the points. As he explained, it was immediately clear what the degradation was lower than expected and, therefore, making only one pit stop would have given advantages: "From the start of the race it was clear that tire degradation was lower than expected. Therefore we opted for the single stop, which had provided benefits until the final laps. I was in P10, then I started to lose grip and I didn't have the pace to maintain the position. I feel there is still a lot of work to do for the team to reach the top teams".
Both Aston Martins managed to get to the end of the race with a very worn Hard. So how did they manage to stay at the correct weight? The Russell opted for the same strategy, but with disqualification for being under the minimum weight. The emerald green cars, compared to the Mercedes, did not push as hard. The #63 Briton instead had to apply great pressure on the tires to keep his teammate behind Lewis Hamilton. Greater effort on already worn tires led to greater wear and, therefore, significant weight loss.
