Aston Martin’s return to Formula 1 did not meet the expectations of the fans or the team. The new marquee signatory Sebastian Vettel has to struggle with the handling of the car. Aston Martin only scored one point in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Lance Stroll rushed to 10th place but was beaten by AlphaTauri newcomer Yuki Tsunoda.
Team boss Otmar Szafnauer has blamed the new regulations from 2021 for the team’s poor performance in the car. Racing Point (now Aston Martin) caused controversy last year by mimicking the design of the 2019 Mercedes W10. The Aston Martin has the same low-rake design as the reigning world champion, which, according to Szafnauer, is not ideal. The new FIA regulations have hit low-rake cars the hardest.
What are Aston Martin’s concerns?
Aston Martin team principal Otston Szafnauer claims his team has been the most hindered by the new FIA regulations. The Romanian expressed frustration during an interview with Sky Sports F1 commentators David Croft and Martin Brundle.
According to Otmar, teams with a high rake philosophy, especially Red Bull and AlphaTauri, will have a massive advantage. This was evident from the pace that Verstappen and Perez showed in the race. The AlphaTauri looked fast too. Gasly finished qualifying on P5, while Formula 1 rookie Yuki Tsunoda finished the race on P9 with two points.
Szafnauer said:
“I think the rude awakening happened in qualifying when, after analyzing the data, we found that the low-rake cars were significantly more handicapped by the change in regulations.”
Aston Martin’s concerns are reasonable as the team battled for podiums at the same track last season. The team also won the second race in Bahrain (albeit on a different layout) with Sergio Perez. Rumors surrounding the paddock suggest that FIA regulations were designed to stop Mercedes supremacy and that Aston Martin suffered collateral damage in the process.
Last night was a battle. The first of many this season. But we are ready to fight. 
Summarize an eventful opening race of the # F1 season for @lance_stroll and # SV5. 
#BahrainGP
– Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@ AstonMartinF1) March 29, 2021
However, Aston Martin remains optimistic about the situation. Otmar Szafnauer has promised that the team will review the data and carry out the necessary work to bring in new parts as soon as possible to contain this deficit. He said:
“[But] There’s more to come, we haven’t given up this year and we have things in the tunnel and in research and development [Research and Development] and we’ll get them on the line pretty soon. “
Team owner Lawrence Stroll has been aiming for regular podiums and wins this season, but FIA regulations have been a heavy blow to the team. Aston Martin will take some time to recover and the team could have problems until they find the right solution.
Published 30 Mar 2021, 22:57 IST
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The post Aston Martin at a big disadvantage: Otmar Szafnauer first appeared on monter-une-startup.
