‘We can see where we need to improve’ – Aston Martin praise Alonso and Stroll amid recent car performance struggles

Aston Martin Performance Director Tom McCullough has praised Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll for their “very professional” attitude as the team continue to work on improvements – both in the short and long-term – following mixed fortunes so far in the 2024 season.

After a memorably strong start to the campaign in 2023, the squad have not quite been able to recapture that form this time around, with their best result so far being a P5 for Alonso in Saudi Arabia.

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Following a particularly difficult run as the triple header got underway, there was an upturn in performance for Aston Martin at Silverstone, where both cars finished inside the top-10 to claim some much-needed points.

With Alonso and Stroll each committed to the team going forwards – having signed contract extensions that will keep them at the outfit through to the introduction of new regulations in 2026 – McCullough was asked prior to the British Grand Prix how hard Alonso in particular was pushing behind the scenes.

“The drivers want to be up the front of the grid – we know that – so bringing updates to the car that don’t quite give the relative performance that you’re wanting, the drivers aren’t going to be as happy,” McCullough explained.

“The drivers love to see their name at the top and score the points. They’re very professional, working very hard in the debriefs.

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“The good thing for us is the two of them are saying exactly the same thing about the car – the data’s saying the same thing, we can see where we need to improve. It’s just heads down now and trying to bring those parts to the car as quickly as possible.”

It comes as the team continue to put factors into place for their long-term development, including the continued expansion of their base at Silverstone as well as recruiting former Mercedes Power Unit chief Andy Cowell as their new CEO.

Cowell will replace Martin Whitmarsh in the role in October, and McCullough is confident about what he can bring to the role as Aston Martin continue to grow.

“Obviously Andy’s got a wealth of experience from his time at formerly Cosworth and then Mercedes,” McCullough commented. “Martin has worked with him in the past.

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“Martin has been instrumental in the campus development and where we are as a team now, with a lot of the big strategic thinking, and I think having somebody like Andy take on from that – there’s going to be a good handover period between the two of them – it’s that calibre of person that you’re wanting to help see the big picture, make the big decisions to make the team keep striding forwards as we are doing.”