Aston Martin has got to the bottom of its troubled Brazilian Grand Prix that left Lance Stroll out on the formation lap and Fernando Alonso battling extreme bouncing.

The Silverstone-based team endured a hugely challenging race afternoon at Interlagos as Stroll spun into the wall on the formation lap after his rears unexpectedly locked, before he managed to beach himself in the gravel.

Then Alonso struggled throughout with similar rear locking issues plus excessive porpoising that left him struggling with back pain at the end, but he was determined to push on and see the chequered flag.

Speaking on the team radio at the time, Alonso, who finished 14th, admitted that something unusual was happening. “This bouncing is not normal,” he said.

With no immediate explanation for what happened on both cars, Aston Martin has spent some time since returning to its factory trying to get a better comprehension of the factors at play.

It now suspects that the problems on both cars were triggered by a super nervous rear-end characteristic that had been introduced as a result of car changes made following the qualifying crashes the team suffered on Sunday morning.

Both Stroll and Alonso had hit the barriers in the wet qualifying session, damaging the Suzuka-concept specification floors the team had intended to run for the Interlagos event.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, crashes out

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

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With no spares of that specification available, Aston Martin had to revert to a previous floor version – which was the one it first introduced at the Hungarian GP.

Normally teams cannot change specs between qualifying and the race, as that is a breach of parc ferme regulations and mandates a pitlane start.

However, things are different on a sprint race weekend when allowances are made if there is a shortage of spare parts.

Article 40.4 says at sprint weekends teams can change specification if they can “demonstrate there is a shortage of parts, and provided that the replacement part is of a specification that has been previously used in a qualifying session or a race”.

It was this rule that Mercedes used at the United States GP to allow George Russell to go back to an older specification of floor following his qualifying crash.

The complication for Aston Martin, however, was that the change of floor had to be made without it being able to alter the mechanical set-up around it – as suspension settings are totally fixed in parc ferme.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

So on a weekend where teams were battling the problems of excessive bumps on the Interlagos track, plus tricky weather conditions, the end result was a car whose aero platform and mechanical settings did not match up.

Speaking about what Aston Martin has found out since Brazil, team principal Mike Krack thinks a combination of elements came together to leave both its drivers with a car that was ultra nervous.

“It was clear that both drivers were battling a car that was incredibly difficult to drive during Sunday’s race,” he said. “Our post-weekend analysis has highlighted several factors that explain this.

“Following both car’s accidents in qualifying, we had to replace a lot of components with a different specification due to availabilities at the end of a triple-header. This is allowed by the Sprint Event regulations, and you declare your shortages and replacement options to the FIA before the event.

“[But] you aren’t allowed to change the mechanical set-up of the cars. This meant we could neither check nor adjust the set-up of the cars, which negatively affected aerodynamic behaviour and performance.

“Add in treacherous wet conditions, along with an incredibly bumpy track, and you begin to understand that both drivers had the odds stacked against them.

“Both cars were highly susceptible to wheel-locking, and we can see in the data that this is what caused the issues for both Lance and Fernando.”

Aston Martin has been experimenting with its floor choices in recent races, with an upgrade it delivered for Austin not delivering the step forward hoped for.

It reverted to the Suzuka spec from Mexico, and may commit to the Budapest version for the next high-speed races in Las Vegas and Qatar.

In the final part of his prize package, 2023 Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award Winner and Rodin F3 driver Joseph Loake heads to Silverstone to test the Aston Martin AMR22 F1 Car.

Narrated and presented by Motorsport Engineer Blake Hinsey, we gets a behind-the-scenes look at how Aston Martin conducts a track test for a new driver, as well as insight from Joseph and his family on the emotional journey climbing the ladder of junior motorsport, and the thrill of driving an F1 car for the first time.

#f1 #josephloake #astonmartin

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Ferrari driver James Calado has revealed that he was hospitalised with malnutrition early in this year’s World Endurance Championship campaign as a result of his efforts to lose weight.

The Briton has disclosed that he became “properly ill” after the Qatar season-opener as he strived to overcome the performance disadvantage that comes with carrying extra kilogrammes in the WEC’s Hypercar category, which does not include the driver in the minimum weight of the car.

“I was sick this year because I lost so much weight – I went to hospital after Qatar with malnutrition,” he explained. “I was on medication because I was running and not eating, trying so hard to lose weight.

“It’s too dangerous for me to go down to the weight I want.”

Calado explained that he is “70-something kilos” and that could result in a performance disadvantage of as much as half a second a lap on a regular circuit to a driver who weighs 20kg less.

“I would love to be able to qualify, but I’m too heavy,” he said. “I would love something to make it more equal like karting or in other championships.

#51 Ferrari Af Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: Shameem Fahath

“It’s not easy to manage because it’s endurance racing – three drivers per car, two in others – I know that, but let’s try and do something.”

Calado’s revelation comes at a time when there is a push to mitigate the advantage that running lighter drivers brings.

BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos revealed to Motorsport.com that he has raised the issue with the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, which jointly run the WEC.

“There should be compensation for driver weight as there was in the past in LMP1 and we are pushing for that,” he said.

“We shouldn’t get to a situation where the manufacturers are looking for the lightest drivers; there should be a situation where every driver can be competitive.

“This is also a safety topic: drivers try to lose weight, but this is endurance racing so it can be dangerous.”

James Calado, Ferrari AF Corse

Photo by: Nikolaz Godet

ACO technical director Thierry Bouvet admitted that the idea is being discussed, but stressed that no decision has been made.

“When people have ideas, we and the FIA look at the pros and cons and see if they need to be adopted or not,” he said.

A rule introduced in LMP1 for the 2015 WEC season increased the minimum weight of a car in which the average weight of its two or three drivers was less than 80kg.

Three drivers with an average weight of 75kg had to carry 5kg of ballast in their car, for example.

The rule didn’t remove the advantage a lighter driver had over heavier co-drivers but equalised the cars across the grid.

The cars of Formula 1 drivers who weigh less than 80kg in their racewear have to carry ballast to bring it up to the 798kg minimum.

The Hypercar technical rules for 2025 have already been approved and published but could be changed with the unanimous support of the manufacturers.

Williams has admitted that the five major shunts from the last two Formula 1 race weekends have caused an ‘unsustainable’ run of damage to leave it short on spares.

The Grove-based squad has endured two bruising events in Mexico and Brazil, where drivers Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto both endured a run of heavy accidents.

Albon suffered a big crash in first practice in Mexico, after making contact with Oliver Bearman, while his race ended on the opening lap when he was tagged by RB‘s Yuki Tsunoda.

In Brazil, Albon had a major crash in the wet qualifying session which put him out of the race because the damage he caused could not be repaired in time.

Colapinto also crashed in qualifying and, while the team could get his car fixed in time, he suffered another big accident in the wet race that brought out a red flag.

The run of incidents has burned through Williams’ spare parts and team principal James Vowles has admitted that it is now facing a race against time to work out what can be done to put it in the best possible shape for the race in Las Vegas.

The team will not only need to ensure it has enough spares to get through the weekend but also that it is running with its car in the best possible configuration of upgrades.

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46, crashes out

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

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Speaking in his regular post-race review on the Williams App, Vowles said that work at the squad was still ongoing to finalise what shape it would be in for Las Vegas.

Asked about the spares situation in light of the crashes, Vowles said: “There’s no team on the grid that can cope with five major accidents in two race weekends. Simply the matter of spares we carry are not sufficient to carry that amount of attrition. 

“Vegas, I have high hopes for. We were fast there last year, and I’m confident the car will work well in those conditions.

“So we will do our absolute utmost to get two cars to the best specification they can be, with sufficient spares around us to make that happen.

“What that looks like is difficult to predict. We’re still getting the items back from Brazil and determining what we have to do in terms of construct and build in order to give ourselves the best possible scenario.”

James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing, in the the team representatives press conference

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Vowles said that what happened in Brazil in particular, especially because Albon’s Q3 crash had come after some impressive pace in the wet, was incredibly hard to take.

However, he reckoned the pain of all that happened, which included dropping down a constructors’ championship position because of Alpine‘s double podium, had not changed his belief about what Williams could achieve in the future.

“The Brazil weekend was probably the most brutal that I can remember across my entire career. In the space of seven days, a little more than, we had five major accidents. In Brazil alone between qualifying the race three.

“That’s an amount that near enough no one can sustain on the grid.

“This team is going through the process of rebuilding itself into a state where it can win races in the future. That doesn’t happen overnight.

“It doesn’t happen without significant change throughout an organization, and this one race is simply just a blip in what is a grand scheme of a multi-year programme.

“It doesn’t mean it hurts any less. It’s something that hurts tremendously as I’m talking to you now.

“But I want us to be successful and performant. I came here not to be fighting for the odd point, but rather fighting for wins and more in the future. And that can’t be achieved without some level of compromise along the way, without rebuilding an organisation.

“So yes, it’s painful what happened last weekend, but it hasn’t changed what our destination is. In fact, it’s rooted me even further more to the fact of what we have to do to achieve it is significant, but we can achieve it together as a team.”

Formula 1’s drivers have called for FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to “consider his own tone and language” through a Grand Prix Drivers’ Association statement, in the wake of controversy over swearing.

A statement posted on the GPDA’s new Instagram account outlined a collective statement from its members, showing unity with Max Verstappen as the Dutchman was given effective community service by the FIA for swearing in Singapore’s Thursday press conference.

Charles Leclerc was also fined €10,000 for swearing in Mexico’s post-race press conference, half of which was suspended for 12 months on the provision that there were no repeat offences.

It also stated that the FIA should be more willing to treat the drivers as adults, referencing the media missives handed out during 2022 on wearing jewellery in the car – which appeared to be targeted at Lewis Hamilton.

The statement read that, although the drivers accepted that they must abide by the “referee’s decision”, the GPDA wished to collaborate with F1 and the FIA to ensure that all decisions are to the benefit of the championship and its spectacle.

The GPDA also suggested that it was unhappy with the levying of driver fines, particularly as it felt the use of those fines was not fully transparent. 

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA, congratulates Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

It asked that Ben Sulayem should “provide financial transparency” for the application of any money accrued from fines, and that all stakeholders should be in agreement of where to put that money.

Furthermore, the GPDA cited that it felt it was playing its part in helping to ensure F1 was well promoted for the benefit of everyone involved in the championship – and called upon other stakeholders to do the same. 

Of the current drivers, George Russell is a director of the GPDA, as is four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. Former F1 driver and two-time Le Mans 24 Hour winner Alexander Wurz is currently the GPDA’s chairman.

The GPDA statement in full

GPDA Statement regarding “Driver Misconduct”

“As is the case with every sport, competitors must abide by the referee’s decision, whether they like it or not, indeed whether they agree with it or not. That is how sport works. The Drivers (our members) are no different, and fully understand that.

“Our members are professional drivers, racing in Formula 1, the pinnacle of international motorsport. They are the gladiators and every racing weekend they put on a great show for the fans.

“With regards to swearing, there is a difference between swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might use to describe bad weather, or indeed an inanimate object such as a Formula 1 car, or a driving situation.

“We urge the FIA President to also consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise. Further, our members are adults, they do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery and underpants.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, is congratulated on the podium by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

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“The GPDA has, on countless occasions, expressed its view that Driver monetary fines are not appropriate for our Sport. For the past 3 years, we have called upon the FIA President to share the details and strategy regarding how the FIA’s financial fines are allocated and where the funds are spent.

“We have also relayed our concerns about the negative image financial fines bring to the Sport. We once again request that the FIA President provide financial transparency and direct, open dialogue with us. All stakeholders (FIA, F1, the Teams and the GPDA) should jointly determine how and where the money is spent for the benefit of our Sport.

“The GPDA wishes to collaborate in a constructive way with all the stakeholders, including the FIA President, in order to promote our great Sport for the benefit of everyone who works in it, pays for it, watches it, and indeed loves it. We are playing our part.

“Best regards,

“The Directors and Chairman of the GPDA on behalf of the Grand Prix Drivers

“#RacingUnited for our Safety, our Sport, our Fans.”

Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is considering the World Endurance Championship over the GT World Challenge Europe as he downscales his race programme for next season.

The BMW factory driver has revealed that the German manufacturer is steering him towards the WEC rather than a full campaign across the Endurance and Sprint Cup legs of the GTWCE in 2025.

Rossi, who contested the WEC’s new LMGT3 class and seven GTWCE events with the WRT team this year, said that at the moment his decision is “more towards the WEC”, but stressed that he has yet to make a final call.

That will not be made until after the final GTWCE enduro in Jeddah at the end of this month.

“I have quite a lot of pressure from BMW to remain in the WEC because for them it is more important,” the 45-year-old Italian explained over the course of last weekend’s final round of the 2024 WEC in Bahrain.

“I am a little bit uncertain and I haven’t decided yet. Some things are better here, some things are better there.”

Rossi has previously pointed to the prestige of racing in a world championship and the opportunity it presents to compete at the Le Mans 24 Hours, while stressing the ultra-competitiveness of GT3-only racing in the GTWCE in which he competes in the Pro class.

He has decided to cut down on the number of races he will contest from 16 this year to 10 or 11 next for family reasons at a time when the birth of his second child is imminent.

#20 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Valentino Rossi

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

To achieve that, he will have to drop out of one of the championships that have been part of his 2024 programme.

Should he choose the GTWCE, it is likely that he would do both legs of the series in which he has achieved his greatest success since his full-time swap to four wheels following his retirement from MotoGP at the end of 2020.

He took a solo Sprint Cup victory in each of the 2023 and ’24 seasons driving a BMW M4 GT3 for BMW, the former as part of a full campaign, the latter over the two short-format GTWCE events he contested alongside a full campaign in the enduros.

Rossi reaffirmed his intent to contest the Bathurst 12 Hours, the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge next February, for a third year in succession.

Had he continued to race in both WEC and GTWCE, the Australian enduro would likely have been a casualty of his efforts to reduce his number of races.

Rossi played down the chances of him racing BMW’s M Hybrid V8 LMDh after try-out in a WRT-run car at last weekend’s WEC rookie test in Bahrain.

He said that he was “happy to test the [Le Mans] Hypercar and put it in my collection”.