Fernando Alonso has revealed that Aston Martin must now focus on resolving gearbox problems after the team successfully addressed the vibration issues that plagued their car during the early stages of the 2024 Formula 1 season. The two-time world champion confirmed that the chassis vibrations that hurt the British outfit across the opening rounds are now under control following improvements made for the Miami Grand Prix.
While the vibration fix represents a significant step forward for Aston Martin and engine partner Honda, Alonso emphasized that the AMR26’s overall performance remains unchanged from their struggles in Japan. Speaking to select media including RacingNews365, the Spanish driver clarified that the reliability improvements did not translate to better lap times, stating: “I’m not sure in terms of performance, I don’t think so. Just the reliability was better. We didn’t have any issues. Vibrations are better. But no, performance, I think, is very similar to Japan.”
The 42-year-old driver identified the gearbox as Aston Martin’s next critical area for improvement, revealing he experienced difficulties with gear changes throughout the Miami weekend. Alonso explained that the issues were more related to the gearbox than the engine, describing problems with both downshifts and upshifts that were “not very well controlled.” He noted that electronics or other systems may be contributing to the erratic gearbox behavior.
Looking ahead to the Canadian Grand Prix, Alonso stressed the urgency of resolving these transmission issues, particularly given the demanding nature of the Montreal circuit. “That’s the fix number one for Canada,” he stated. “I think with all the heavy braking zones in Canada, we need to improve the gearbox behaviour at the moment.” The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve features numerous heavy braking zones that require precise gear changes, making reliable transmission operation crucial for competitive performance.