Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell has openly acknowledged that the Silverstone-based outfit faces a steep challenge to regain its footing after a disappointing performance at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
The team, which had shown promise early in the 2025 season, left Suzuka empty-handed, with Fernando Alonso finishing 11th – just 2.8 seconds shy of a point – and Lance Stroll trailing in last place after a two-stop strategy.
The lackluster result marked a stark contrast to Friday’s FP1, where Alonso had posted a competitive seventh, hinting at a stronger weekend.
Unpacking the Performance Dip
Cowell admitted the team is grappling with unanswered questions about their sudden loss of pace.
“The challenging bit is that on Friday we look stronger,” he told the media in Suzuka, quoted by Motorsport Week.
“So on Friday we were thinking we’ve dialled the car in better than at previous races. And then Saturday arrived and qualifying and Lance and the car bouncing. And then the race follows on from that, doesn’t it?”
©AstonMartin
Cowell highlighted the critical role of qualifying at a track like Suzuka.
“This is one of those circuits that is heavily driven by where you position the car in qualifying. So I think we’ve missed a little bit of performance.
“I don’t just want to blame the wind. That feels like you’re blaming stuff outside your circle of influence. And this sport isn’t like that, is it?
“It’s about what’s inside your circle of influence. So we need to learn what it is that a wind direction changes with regards to car performance.”
“It’s a figure of eight circuit. You can’t just go blaming the wind direction. That’s the only thing that we’ve spotted that changed.”
Digging Deeper
Cowell questioned internal factors: “Is there something else that we’ve changed on the car set-up that’s changed the confidence of the drivers?
“You can see it in the car as well. I think we’ve got a little bit more performance within the car that’s here now.
“Saying that, we’re not fighting for wins. We’re a long way from that. So there’s a lot of work for us to do going forward.”
Despite the setback, Cowell sees a silver lining in the sheer volume of data collected over the weekend.
“When you analyse a situation, you look at the best of the best and the worst of the worst,” he added.
“It’s quite nice to be at the same track where we’ve got a stronger Friday and a weaker Saturday and therefore Sunday.
“You can just look at the differences across all the systems of the car, whether it’s the aerodynamic system, suspension, tyres, brakes, all of it, aero balance, etc.
“So actually, Lance running all three compounds in the race, both cars finishing, and coming away without damaged cars means that we can just focus on the performance aspect. The aero, the vehicle dynamics, the tyre management.”
Alonso echoed Cowell’s sentiment, stressing the need for upgrades.
“At the moment, there is not enough pace. We seem to struggle to be in the Q3. We’ve never been so far in the race to be in the top 10 with a normal race on merit.”
As Aston Martin prepares for Bahrain, Cowell’s focus is clear: decipher the downturn and harness the lessons from Suzuka to propel the team forward.
Cowell admits Aston Martin has ‘a lot of work to do’
