F1 News: Fernando Alonso Surprised By Aston Martin Upgrades After Japan Success

Fernando Alonso has expressed his astonishment at the unexpected performance Aston Martin's latest upgrades provided during the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying. Despite initially falling behind, the upgrades propelled Alonso into a commendable fifth place, a significant improvement from previous performances, and suitably in front of teammate Lance Stroll who has received the same changes.

Key Takeaways:

• Fernando Alonso, initially sceptical, finds Aston Martin's new upgrades more beneficial than anticipated, securing a strong position in Japan GP qualifying.
• The upgrades, focusing on sidepod and floor area improvements, showcased their potential by narrowing the gap with frontrunners.
• Alonso remains cautious about his race day prospects, aiming to maintain position amidst tough competition from McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari.

Aston Martin's recent performance in the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying has left Fernando Alonso pleasantly surprised and the F1 world taking notice. The Spaniard's journey through the qualifying rounds saw a notable shift in momentum thanks to the team's latest car upgrades, catapulting him into a more competitive stance against the top contenders.

A Leap in Performance

During Friday's practice at Suzuka, Alonso took to the track with the AMR24's previous setup, while teammate Lance Stroll tested the new upgrades. The changes, mainly focused on the car's sidepod and floor area, were fully adopted by both drivers in time for qualifying, albeit with the team blasting through the curfew last night. Alonso's initial scepticism was quickly dispelled as he witnessed the significant impact of these changes firsthand.

The Spaniard said: "Yesterday I had the old package, today the new package. Tonight we will have all the data to confirm that, and to quantify the improvement, but everything felt good in qualifying. "Little bit unexpected, to be that competitive, to be honest.

"Just a couple of hundreds from [Sainz] Ferrari, Leclerc [is] behind us, Piastri behind us and Mercedes. So we were here six months ago - 1.5 seconds from pole position. And now we are four-tenths."

Cautious Optimism for Race Day

Despite the qualifying success, Alonso approached the upcoming race with a tempered outlook.

"Looking back at the first three races, we are very strong in Saturday, [but] not so strong on Sunday, we are maybe out of position to be in top five," he admitted. "If I get overtaken by Oscar and the two Mercedes or something like that, I think or I will guess this is normal - and we will fall back to our position.

"Let's see what we can do. I'm very open to whatever the race brings to us. I'm extremely proud and happy of today's job and tomorrow is another day."

Alonso also highlighted the narrowing gap in qualifying performances across teams, yet pointed out Red Bull's dominance in race pace. This observation underscores the evolving competitive landscape of F1, where Saturdays offer a glimmer of what teams can achieve under optimal conditions.

"In qualifying it's true that this year that is everything is so close. We saw Nico [Hulkenberg], Valtteri [Bottas] today, they are three-tenths away or something like that, which is incredible," he said.

"Then in the race, you see the real face of the cars. This is something that we are struggling with a little bit as well, we are very competitive on Saturday, and not so much on Sunday. So our true pace, I think, is Sunday's pace.

"On Saturday, because of the grip of tyres, because of everything, maybe you mask some of the problems."