Aston Martin has failed to deliver on the promise it showed in 2023 after Fernando Alonso achieved eight podiums.
The team looked like it had turned a corner following a tough 2022 season with Alonso achieving the most podiums of any non-Red Bull driver. The AMR24 was supposed to build on that momentum, but so far Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll have only scored 68 points between them.
Technical director Tom McCullough admitted the team has taken away performance with its latest upgrades and now the team has been left playing catch up to Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari as they win races and consistently earn podiums.
According to journalist Michael Schmidt, Aston Martin has reverted to old parts in a bid to retrace their steps and bring more performance to their car when speaking on the Formel Schmidt podcast.
Aston Martin ‘lost’ with latest car upgrades
The team has struggled to add performance with its current aero platform, with the floor being a key area of development for teams.
As teams add more downforce, it causes their car to bounce along the track at high speed, which affects the confidence of drivers in the high-speed corners.
Schmidt believes the team is having to use old parts as it attempts to recuperate as much performance as possible in the next few races.
“Aston Martin has screwed the Suzuka underbody to the car along with new parts that were added such as front wing and rear ventilation,” said Schmidt.
“The teams are lost and have gone a step too far, now they have to take one step back and slowly work their way back up.”
Aston Martin goes on a recruitment drive
While the 84-race team has suffered poor results on track, Aston Martin has been on a recruitment drive lately.
Their most recent hire is ex-Mercedes man Andy Cowell, who was responsible for the German team’s engine division which produced one of the most successful power units of the hybrid F1 era.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Cowell joins other high-profile figures such as Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile and veteran technical chief Bob Bell.
It is rumoured that Adrian Newey could also make the switch to Aston Martin having held secret talks with billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll in recent weeks.
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