After finishing fourth in last year’s Constructors’ Championship under the guise of Racing Point, Aston Martin aimed to lead the midfield teams by finishing third in the overall standings this year.
But the 2021 car downforce cuts seemed to hit Aston Martin the hardest, causing the team’s form to deteriorate compared to midfield rivals McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine and AlphaTauri.
The team scored just five points in the first four races of the year – all courtesy of Lance Stroll – and is seventh in the overall standings, just ahead of the pointless trio of Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas.
Szafnauer said ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend that third place was out of reach for Aston Martin but hoped he could recover to a top 5 result.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR21
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“Unfortunately I think P3 is probably a step too far,” said Szafnauer.
“We’ll fight hard in midfield to see how high we can go. But yeah, we want to be in the top half by the end of the year. “
The Aston Martin name returned to the grid for the first time in 61 years after the owner of the Racing Point team, Lawrence Stroll, invested in the British car brand, laying the foundations for his quest to win the squad do.
Szafnauer had no additional pressure from Stroll or the other shareholders due to the team’s fights in 2021, and said the entire team was realistic about its current position.
“Neither of us is satisfied with the situation we are in,” said Szafnauer.
Also read:
“We have to be realistic about what we can do with a frozen car, frozen rake, and regulations that change significantly for 2022.
“So we have to be realistic to understand the situation we are in and do the best we can with the car and the tools we have.
“Of course there is always pressure if you don’t get where you thought you would. But as I said, we all have to be realistic and do what we can without jeopardizing the 2022 program. “
When asked by Autosport whether the tough start to the year allowed Aston Martin to move more resources earlier than expected to 2022, Szafnauer said he hadn’t changed his original plans.
“Not really, we had a plan that we didn’t deviate from,” said Szafnauer.
“But that was a plan that was set last year about how far we will develop this year’s car this season. We’re still on track. “
The post Aston Martin must be realistic now P3 “one step too far” first appeared on monter-une-startup.
