British Grand Prix: Strategy Missteps Signal Frustration for Alonso
Fernando Alonso expressed dissatisfaction with Aston Martin’s strategic decisions during the 2023 Formula 1 British Grand Prix, which ultimately hindered his performance. The double world champion finished ninth, dropping two positions, while teammate Lance Stroll made significant gains, rising from 17th to seventh amid unpredictable weather conditions.
Stroll’s strategy proved effective as he executed two well-timed pit stops early in the race. He pitted on lap six under virtual safety car conditions, transitioning to soft tires and then onto green-striped tires by lap 10. This allowed him to climb to third as rivals, including Alonso, who pitted later, fell behind.
“In these kinds of situations, his [Stroll’s] side of the garage tends to be more accurate,” Alonso stated after witnessing Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg secure his first podium. “Usually, we execute better, but it was a missed opportunity today.”
Alonso’s first stop came on lap 11, which saw him drop from sixth to tenth, while his second pit on lap 37 to switch to slicks was premature as most of the field delayed their stops until laps 41-44.
“It was a very hard race to execute. I can feed back the track conditions, but I can’t do much more than that,” Alonso remarked, underscoring the reliance on team data during mixed weather situations. “I lost about 25 seconds due to the early pit, it was frustrating.”
Despite Alonso’s criticisms, Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell defended the strategy, asserting that decisions were made collectively. “We went early with Fernando. In hindsight, it may have been too early, but it was the best call based on the data we had at the time.”
The race results leave Aston Martin in eighth place in the constructors’ championship, with Stroll in 12th and Alonso in 14th in the drivers’ standings as they look to recover in the remainder of the season.
