Stoffel Vandoorne admits there is no easy fix to Aston Martin's woes
Truck removes the car of Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll
Aston Martin reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne revealed the troubles facing the Formula 1 team cannot be resolved overnight and warned fans there is a long road ahead before they become competitive again.
This could go a long way to explaining lead driver Fernando Alonso's aloof attitude in recent months, having recently signed a new contract until the end of the 2026 season only for the team's form to fall off a cliff.
They struggled again in Belgium before the mid-season break, with Alonso dragging his car to eighth place. At the same time, teammate Lance Stroll finished outside the points in 11th.
“It was a difficult one,“ Aston Martin‘s reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne told the F1 Nation podcast. “We all expected to have a more competitive weekend because of our characteristics of the car.
“We thought we‘d have more straight-line speed. We were on the back foot.
“With Fernando, we were in No Man‘s Land. He had a victory of the second group of teams, let‘s say. We were far behind the leaders, ahead of the remaining teams.
“Unfortunately that is the reality that we‘re in, at the moment.
“There is a long road ahead of us.“
Vandoorne stated the team is likely to use the rest of this season to fix their issues so they can attack the top of the field next year.
“I don‘t think we‘re there yet. It will take a bit of time," he said.
“We can still do a lot in the second half of the year to make things better for next season.
“Pushing through upgrades is hard but it‘s more about understanding the philosophy of these cars, what it needs. What characteristics it needs.
“That‘s what the top teams are doing well, they know which areas to tackle and what to improve.
“We bring things that work but others that don‘t quite work. That‘s the area to focus on.“
