Aston Martin working on solving AMR23 ‘burning seat’ issue

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Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack says the team is trying its best to address the burning seat issue suffered by Fernando Alonso in Qatar but which appears to be a recurring problem on the team’s AMR23.

Early on in last weekend’s race at Lusail, Alonso radioed in to complain about the excessive heat radiating through the seat of his car.

The surge was such that the Spaniard requested that the team drop a bucket of water on his lap during his pit stop!

“The seat is burning, mate. Anything we can do at the pit stop? Throw me water or something,” Alonso asked.

Given the amount of electrical wire and components located in the cockpit of Aston’s car, the team predictably ignored its driver’s appeal.

Read also: FIA officially warns Stroll over Qatar GP garage tantrum

After the race, when queried on Alonso’s plight, Krack admitted that it hadn’t been the first time the Spaniard had complained about the searing heat emanating from his machine’s seat.

“Yes, it’s true. He reported on it already a couple of times,” said the Aston chief.

“We are working on it. And it’s not that we have not done anything. We had it also in Singapore, which we thought was much, much better.”

©AstonMartin

Krack shed some light on the origin of the heat wave under the bum of Aston’s drivers and which appears to be located more on the right-hand side of the car’s cockpit.

“You have hydraulic lines, you have ECUs around you. They’re all heating up, and you try to isolate the seat from it,” he seat.

“But also, you do not want to have any kind of active cooling because it’s just weight.”

While explaining his uncomfortable predicament, Alonso suggested that teammate Lance Stroll had also experienced the same issue.

“I think for Lance and myself we struggled a little bit with temperature in the seat on the right-hand side,” Alonso said.

“I got a burn in the first 15 laps, so I even asked on the radio if they could throw me some water or something at the pitstop, which apparently is not allowed. So yeah, it was quite extreme.

“We have been dealing with some issues. Today was extreme.”

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.