The Aston Martin AMR24 it has not yet managed to maximize its return. An optimal working point for the single-seater which was not always reached over the weekend. Furthermore, the performance of Lance Stroll often leaves something to be desired, too far from the performances of the two-time world champion F1 Spanish: Fernando Alonso. On the contrary, the pilot of Oviedo he takes advantage of every little opportunity, drags the teams along and gets really positive results. As for the car, in Japanthe team of technicians led by Dan Fallows have presented the first update package on Verdona.
The aim of this first update to the bottom and bellies of the British car underlines the important work carried out on the fluid structure of the single-seater. The objective was to increase load stability under the various driving conditions of the car. On the other hand we must always remember that, in F1especially with the wing car which use ground effect via channels Venturithe downforce produced is a function of several variables including yaw, roll and pitch angles. Variations to which the single-seater is very sensitive.
Keeping this factor in mind, we can say that an update does not always work perfectly immediately. In fact, it must be validated on the track to maximize its intrinsic potential. For this reason, thanks to the information collected by our editorial staff, we know that for the Chinese trip Aston Martin considers a clear step forward in this respect. To do this, she will have to be very good at getting the car set up correctly in the short time available, considering that free practice will consist of a single 60-minute session on Friday.
Tom McCullough, performance director della Aston Martin
Tom McCullough, performance director of the British team, analyzes a couple of undoubtedly interesting aspects. The track is atypical and the right aero-mechanical compromise must undoubtedly be achieved to give the best. A path so called front-limited, where the left front will suffer particularly. Furthermore, the evolution of the track will undoubtedly be very great, bearing in mind that the asphalt has recently undergone renovation and the tires are quite low. A AMR24 who nevertheless thinks he can put together a positive weekend, taking a further evolutionary step regarding the learning curve on the car.
Aston Martin AMR24, Shanghai: soft degradation at Suzuka. There is a lack of efficiency in general terms
In Japan the AMR24 he did not combine his excellent performance in qualifying with his performance in the race. As had already happened to Jeddahafter performances on par with the competitors headed to Saturday, Alonso he “suffered” a car that was not at all gentle on the tires with a high fuel load. The graph relating to the degradation of the former stint illustrates how, although maintaining a good average pace, the Spaniard paid for tire wear on the softer compound. The attempt to recover some positions at the start turned into an uphill race, due to the extra stress imposed on coverage Soft.
The deterioration ahead of plan forced the Aston Martin to an early stop for the number 14. By doing so the strategists implicitly forced Fernando to a slower pace in the stint final. In addition to this factor, on a track that requires good efficiency, the British car seemed anything but capable of correctly interpreting the equation that links aerodynamic load to straight-line speed. Specifically, in fact, the data highlights a car that is not too fast in both fundamentals, and this is probably the main cause of the performances that are far from Ferrari e McLaren.
race pace 1st stint – Japanese GP 2024
The choice made a Suzuka in decreasing the level of downforce to exploit the vertical thrust guaranteed by the updates present in the fund it worked halfway. Not enough compromise. Through the on board we saw one AMR24 not well balanced, unable to fully exploit the performance guaranteed by the front suspension during insertion. Furthermore, the performance in high speed corners it wasn’t all that good. Drivers were often forced to make micro-corrections to control the car, a factor which leads to an increase in the energy put into the tires and consequently facilitates their wear.
Aston Martin AMR24, Shanghai: work on beam wing-diffuser to maximize the load
In the weekend which is about to begin, the set-up dell’Aston Martin will try to further enhance the work of the anterior suspensive scheme. Unlike the Japanthe two single-seaters will be able to count on greater rigidity, without exaggerating, which will give the drivers better driving dynamics in the various corners start and stop of the Chinese circuit. The objective is to improve the aero-mechanical potential of the single-seater, consequently widening the operational window of the car. To do this, we look for a more pointed anterior that can guarantee an optimal insertion phase.
Engineers will make the anti-roll bars and shock absorbers slightly stiffer, taking advantage of a circuit that features fewer direction changes than Suzukapreferring a more stable car in long-radius curves, with support, which at the same time facilitates warm up strategy in the turns out. On an aerodynamic level the AMR24 will look for one ride height quite low, taking advantage of a more linear road surface to obtain a performance gain from the recent ones up-grade. According to the technicians, the performance potential has not yet been unlocked, especially in fast corners.
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) aboard his AMR24 – 2024 Japanese GP
We expect a car with medium downforce and broadly similar to its rivals. The pairing will be exploited beam wing and diffuser to maximize the downforce produced in the fast corners of the T2 and to manage the tires during the race. The engineers of team Over the Channel they expect a better performing car in general terms, thanks to a suspension package with revised stiffness that can activate the potential of the updates. The objective is to broaden the operational window of the car to bring the performance between qualifying and the race closer.
The management of micro-slips in corners, EOSS and balance in slow sections under the magnifying glass. To enhance the overall efficiency of the single-seater they must necessarily increase the top speed. To do this, the engineers who deal with the hybrid part will try to redistribute the “discharge” of the battery, moving peak power towards the end of the straight to achieve high top speeds. In this way, we want to mitigate the less than stellar efficiency of the DRS due to a flatter rear wing.
Authors and graphic designers: Alessandro Arcari – @berrageiz – Leonardo Pasqual – @PasqualLeonardo
Images: Aston Martin
