Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin owes its recent performance slump to a "combination of things", but the Spaniard says his team is working hard to return to the podium.
After Aston's remarkable entry into the 2023 season, with Alonso claiming six podiums in the first eight races, the team's AMR23 has visibly regressed relative to its direct rivals.
Since Austria, the two-time world champion hasn't qualified higher than seventh while his best result on race day was a fifth-place finish, precisely at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.
Ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix Sky Sports Craig Slater suggested to Alonso that an FIA investigation into the Aston Martin's front wing had led to changes to the latter, which in turn had perhaps impacted the car's performance.
But Alonso brushed off the allegation in short order.
"No, I don’t think so," he simply said. "I think it has been a combination of a few things.
"We were four tenths from pole position in Hungary, which is normally the average of pole position, but now there are seven cars in front of us. I think everyone did a step forward. So the grid is very, very tight.
"They could, some teams, over-develop the car compared to us.
"So I think we need to be pragmatic. We need to see that we found ourselves maybe in a position that we were not expecting, so we need to grow up as a team in many different areas.
"But we’re taking all the necessary steps forward to come back to a strong performance. The team is very focused, the team is very determined to go back to the podium and I think we will succeed."
Aston remains third in F1's Constructors standings, 39 points behind Mercedes and 17 points ahead of Ferrari, a position it owes to its remarkable display in the first part of the season.
"Big success," Alonso said, describing his team's overall performance this year.
"I think back to Spa last year, I think the team was ninth in the Constructors’ Championship only in front of Williams, finishing seventh, and this year we are in front of Ferrari.
"So this is an incredible step that Aston Martin has gone through the last few months. I think we cannot ask anything more."
Looking ahead to this weekend's round of racing at Spa, Alonso's Aston teammate Lance Stroll is looking forward to the event but fears it could be a challenging proposition for Team Silverstone given the format and weather forecast.
"I think it’s going to be a challenging race for everyone," he said.
"It’s a sprint weekend, by the looks of it the weather is going to be the biggest factor. One [practice] session and a wet track around here is always challenging.
"So I think it will be challenging but exciting at the same time. Great track to drive and conditions will be difficult, but it’s the same for everyone. So yeah, looking forward to the weekend."
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