F1Weekly Podcast # 981

Play Podcast: 02-28-23f1weekly981.mp3

NASIR AND THE HOST THOROUGHLY ENJOYED PRE-SEASON TESTING! WE HAVE A GRAND PRIX THIS WEEKEND SO  EVERYTHING IS GOOD IN THE UNIVERSE! MOTORSPORTS MONDIAL WILL STIMULATE YOUR FRONTAL LOBE AND MORE FROM THE F1WEEKLY ARCHIVES GOING BACK TO 2010…FROM BARCELONA SENOR RALF SCHUMACHER.

LET’S HEAR FROM THE ASTON MARTIN BOYS…

Fernando Alonso
“It was a good day for us with lots of laps and we have learned a lot about the new car. But it is only testing and we do not know what everyone else is doing so there are still many questions to answer. We have missed having Lance here this week, but I have to say Felipe adapted very well and did a good job.

Overall, the car felt competitive across the three days, but we need to compare to the others next week. There is a lot of potential left for us to unlock and I think we are in a decent place heading into next week. Our goal is to make a step forward from last year and we will take things step by step.”

Felipe Drugovich
“I have really enjoyed my time behind the wheel of the AMR23 and I think we have made good progress across the three days of running. It was great to get back in the car this morning and I am pleased with the set-up changes that have been made since my first day in the car; the team have done a really good job implementing the feedback Fernando and I have given. It has been a valuable experience to compare my own observations with those of a two-time World Champion.

In general, our comments are similar and I think we have worked well together to help the team maximize our three days of pre-season testing. The car feels like a step forward from last year, but we need to remember that all teams will have developed over the winter and so we will continue working hard to maintain this momentum. We are feeling positive, although we will not have a true indication of our relative pace until qualifying next Saturday.”

Tom McCullough, Performance Director
“Day three is done and dusted. We managed to complete our run plan and got a number of laps on the board with both drivers. Felipe did another strong job for us in the morning and Fernando continued in the afternoon. The car ran reliably and again we managed to gather a lot of data. We are still getting to understand the car and learning about various operational and procedural matters, but we have made good progress.

Now our attention moves to the first race and applying everything we have learned this week to optimize things further. Huge credit to the team this week and in the lead up to testing. It has been a massive effort by everyone trackside and at the factory to get us to this point. We are looking forward to getting the new season underway.”