Fernando Alonso deployed his forensic examination tactics in parc fermé after last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, as the Aston Martin driver was caught getting up close and personal with the floor and diffuser of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.
The Spaniard, who was caught in the action by his own onboard camera, was obviously hoping to gain some insight into the inner workings of the MCL38, currently the class of the field in F1.
The two-time World Champion didn’t just glance at the car’s rear-end, he crouched down and even dropped to his knees, meticulously examining the McLaren’s aero elements.
It wasn’t just idle curiosity. Alonso later revealed to Spain’s DAZN that his thorough inspection was all part of a plan for his own team to catch up in the highly competitive world of Formula 1.
“It’s the car that dominates the championship right now,” Alonso said, praising McLaren’s engineering strides. “You always try to take inspiration from the cars that are winning, so we have a lot to learn from them.”
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Alonso’s antics provided a glimpse into just how seriously Aston Martin is taking McLaren’s newfound dominance.
Lando Norris’s crushing win at Zandvoort- his third of the season for team papaya - was evidence enough that McLaren has cracked the code with their recent upgrade package, which included changes to the rear wing, beam wing, brakes, suspension, and floor.
The floor of an F1 car, under the current ground-effect regulations, is a crucial component for creating downforce. With that in mind, Alonso’s close examination focused heavily on this area, likely hoping to glean some details that could be applied to Aston Martin's own vehicle development.
Alonso's performance at Zandvoort, where he finished 10th, marked his second consecutive points finish, but it was far from the result he or the team were hoping for.
“The top four teams, it seems they are in another league so we are fighting for ninth and 10th,” commented the F1 veteran. “Today it was 10th, Pierre was a little bit faster than us all throughout the race.
“It was a challenging race for us, we didn’t have the pace, we were not comfortable so we need to get better.”
“I’m a bit disappointed not to be able to fight a bit higher having started the race P7.”
With nine races remaining, including three Sprint format weekend, Aston Martin finds itself with few incentives in the constructors' championship. They are securely in fifth place, 40 points ahead of RB, but trail fourth-placed Mercedes by a daunting 202 points.
“We just need to understand the car, get some data to feed back to the factory and get better for next year,” Alonso continued.
“As you said, realistically this year, with nine or 10 races remaining there are not many chances to close the gap to the top four teams so everything is with an eye into next year’s project.”
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