On Track

27 Aug 2023

The Debrief by Aramco: Dutch GP

Drama amid the dunes of Zandvoort as Fernando puts in a stunning performance to take second place in the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix.

Fernando mastered the weather to take a hard-fought P2 at Zandvoort on Sunday in a race that began in dry conditions before heavy showers hit and then conditions dried out – and a late shower spiced things up once again. As for Lance, he was unfortunate to fall as low as P19 but recovered to P11 by the chequered flag.

The race began in dry conditions – with Fernando making it from P5 to P2 at the start – but the weather radar strongly hinted at showers to come, and they soon did. The rain fell and forced the field to switch to Intermediate compounds, keeping our strategy team on their feet. Lance attempted to brave it through the rain on slick tyres but the gamble didn't pay off, putting him down the order when he did eventually switch.

The rain retreated and conditions soon dried, but there was more jeopardy in store as the Safety Car was deployed on Lap 17 of 72, by which time Fernando had worked his way back into podium contention. However, dark clouds were regrouping and more rain was expected to fall later in the race.

With around 15 laps to go, the threat of heavy rain materialised and both of our drivers held their nerve after switching to Intermediates, with numerous drivers having struggled for control in the treacherous conditions. The red flag was soon flown.

After a lengthy stoppage, the field emerged on Intermediate compounds for the following rolling start. Lance managed to recover to P11, narrowly missing out on points, despite running 19th after the rain had come and gone earlier in the race.

Fernando took the rolling start in second place and briefly caught up to the leader but held station to finish second at the venue where Aston Martin made its World Championship debut back in 1959. Furthermore, he achieved the fastest lap of the race to bring our tally from the weekend up to 19 points. We therefore head to Monza having broken the 200-point mark after 13 rounds.

Read what Fernando, Lance and Team Principal Mike Krack said after the unforgettable 2023 Dutch Grand Prix.

Sunday

F. Alonso

FL: 1:13.837

P11

L. Stroll

FL: 1:15.171

#14 Fernando Alonso

"It's a nice feeling to be back on the podium after a very intense race and some intense emotions. I think P2 and fastest lap was the maximum we could have achieved today with the heavy rain and the red flag. It was a very well executed race by our team and it means a lot in front of the passionate fans here in Zandvoort. The AMR23 responded well to everything today and I was in sync with it, it was a good feeling. I'm probably happier now than I was scoring podiums at the beginning of the year because after we struggled for podiums in July, coming back strong feels incredible. I cannot lie, I thought about passing [Max Verstappen] and if I was side by side with him I wouldn't have lifted off, but I did not have the full chance. You need some intuition sometimes in the race and there was a bit of rain so I attacked very aggressively. Now I'm looking forward to Monza."

#18 Lance Stroll

"It wasn’t the race we were hoping for today. The changing weather conditions made it very challenging to make the right strategy call and we just didn’t make the right tyre decisions in the opening few laps. We’d hoped to survive the first downpour on the slick tyres, but the rain was heavier than expected and we switched to the Intermediate compound a little too late. Once the running order had stabilised, I found myself stuck in traffic and struggled to make any progress. It's disappointing as the car was performing well and I think more was possible, but that's racing sometimes. We’ll learn from today's mistakes and push hard again in Monza."

Mike Krack, Team Principal

"What a race! A fantastic second place for Fernando and the team. Fernando delivered a well-judged race, survived the tricky conditions, and showed strong pace in the wet and the dry. This result will mean a huge amount to the entire team at track and back at the Campus, and shows our hard work is paying off. It means we have broken the 200-point barrier for the first time and gives us real momentum going into the final races of the year. It is a shame we did not optimise the race for Lance and the decision to remain on dry tyres in the early stages cost him a chance of scoring points."

Saturday

#14 Fernando Alonso | Free Practice & Qualifying

"It wasn’t an easy Qualifying session today in the wet and the dry, so we have to be happy to qualify fifth for tomorrow's race. It was very intense and there was a very small margin for error with the narrow track, so it was very challenging. In these types of conditions, you have no idea what happened in the previous seven minutes you were in the garage, so it can be a little bit of a guess, but we did very well today. The upgrades seem to be working well and it has been a great job by everyone in the Campus who have been working flat-out to bring these updates this weekend."

FP3

1:22.634

1:21.840

P10

1:19.429

1:11.506

#18 Lance Stroll | Free Practice & Qualifying

"The car was feeling strong today, so it’s frustrating to miss out on Q3 by such fine margins. On reflection, we were just a little early going out for my final run; the track was drying quickly and so the tyres weren’t holding up as well by my second push lap. I think we’re in a good place for tomorrow though. The AMR23 feels competitive, and I was able to push on a challenging circuit, which was good fun. We know the field is incredibly tight here and overtaking can be tough, but if we maximise our opportunities in the race then I think we can score some good points for the team."

FP3

1:24:058

P17

1:21.570

P12

1:20.121

P11

Mike Krack, Team Principal

"It was another Qualifying session dominated by wet weather and then a drying track, but the team did a great job of managing the sessions. The car balance in these conditions was pretty good, but Lance suffered with some overheating on his final set of Intermediates. It meant he just missed out on a place in Q3 by half a tenth. The red flags created a very disruptive Q3 session and Fernando lost two of his flying laps just as he was about to complete them. So, all things considered, Qualifying in fifth and 11th place for tomorrow’s race is a decent outcome from a challenging session. The AMR23 is working well here in the wet and the dry so we should have a competitive car to fight for strong points in race conditions too."

Friday

#14 | Fernando Alonso | Free Practice

"The upgrades to the AMR23 feel good, although we didn't complete the programme that we were hoping to – there were a couple of red flags. There was nothing too dramatic on my side and we got good information on Friday, but we still need to analyse everything and put everything together for tomorrow. "

FP1

1:12.130

FP2

1:11.863

P10

#18 | Lance Stroll | Free Practice

"I feel okay after the opening day of practice. We had limited running in FP1 because of the power unit issue, which is a shame as Zandvoort is a great track and a lot of fun, but the issue was quickly resolved by the team so I could return for the second session. We have to look into the data overnight to evaluate the upgrades and come back tomorrow to continue our programme."

FP1

No time

P20

FP2

1:11.835

P08

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