The team has been in Emilia-Romagna, Italy for the seventh round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship at iconic and storied Imola. Get the thoughts from Lance and Fernando following Sunday's race, which saw our team pick up two championship points.
The European leg of the 2024 Formula One World Championship has begun, with the paddock at the historic Imola circuit for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix this weekend. Get the thoughts of Lance and Fernando following Sunday's race.
Sunday round-up and reaction
Lance showed good pace to climb from P13 on the grid to finish ninth, securing two valuable points for the team.
Lance ran further than most on his first stint on Medium tyres before making the switch to the Hard compound. He therefore had fresher tyres than those around him in the closing stages and took advantage of that, executing some fine overtakes towards the end of the race to elevate him into the points.
Fernando started from the pit lane after qualifying in 19th, allowing the team to make further setup tweaks on the AMR24 before lights out.
Fernando started on the Soft tyre before making an early switch to the Hard compound. He also used the Medium tyre later in the race, setting the second-fastest lap of the Grand Prix in the process. His race effectively turned into a test session, providing our team with an opportunity to gather plenty of data around the updates brought to Imola.
#18 | Lance Stroll | Race
"It's good to come away from Imola with a couple of points. We elected to extend our first stint on the Medium compounds hoping for a Safety Car, but that never came and so we had to make up positions on track.
"That early tyre management meant I had the advantage of newer Hards towards of the end of the race, giving me the pace to pass Nico [Hülkenberg] and Yuki [Tsunoda] which was fun. This weekend has been tough though. We know we're not as competitive as we want to be, and we'll have to push hard to find the performance we're missing."
#14 | Fernando Alonso | Race
"It was a difficult day and weekend in general for us. We started from the pit lane and changed a few things on the setup of the car. It meant that we could gather a lot of data which we need to analyse over the next couple of days.
"We opted for the Soft tyres at the start of the race and we were hoping for a Safety Car to change things up. When nothing happened ahead of us, we looked to try a few different compounds out and essentially used it as a bit of a test session. We will need to regroup and put ourselves in the best position in Monaco."
Mike Krack | Team Principal
"We leave Imola with two important points following a strong drive by Lance and excellent team strategy. Lance made his one-stop race work with a long first stint, while Fernando's early pit stop on lap eight helped draw several cars in for early stops. Lance was then able to make strong overtakes into Turn 1 on Hülkenberg and Tsunoda to secure P9. It was not easy to overtake, so it was great to watch Lance making those moves.
"It was always going to be difficult for Fernando to progress to the points after the difficult Qualifying, but he played the team game perfectly. The Imola weekend showed that we are still not competitive enough. Our focus is on extracting the full potential of the AMR24 for the races to come, starting next week in Monaco."
Next up
A quick turnaround for our team as we head to Monte-Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix next weekend.
Saturday
Both drivers will start the Grand Prix outside of the top 10, with Lance progressing to Q2 to qualify in 13th and Fernando set to start tomorrow's race from 19th.
Fernando crashed at Rivazza earlier in the day during FP3. He reported he was OK after the accident and was cleared at the medical centre.
Fernando's crash saw our mechanics work incredibly hard to get his car ready for Qualifying.
Fernando picked up an issue towards the end of Q1, scuppering hopes of a final flying run and therefore leading to his elimination at that stage.
#18 | Lance Stroll | Qualifying
"It wasn't the result we were hoping for today; it's been a bit disappointing. We don't have the pace we need at the moment, and the incredibly tight field highlights that. I felt like I put a good final lap in, but it just wasn't enough to get us out of Q2. We've got work to do ahead of the race tomorrow."
#14 | Fernando Alonso | Qualifying
"It was one of those days where everything went a bit wrong for us. It started with the heavy crash in FP3 and the mechanics did a great job in getting the car ready for Q1. We headed out for Qualifying a few minutes into the session and fuelled to do all of Q1. The best lap I managed was when the car was heavier with fuel and then we had to box for an issue at the end of the session just before my final attempt.
"The car felt quite good in Qualifying and I think there was some more pace in hand, so it was a shame we couldn't improve my laptime. It's very difficult to overtake here and so it's going to be a tough race, but we should be able to learn lots tomorrow."
Mike Krack | Team Principal
"It has been a challenging day in Imola and we did not have the pace to compete for Q3. We have scored points in all the races so far this year and we will work hard to do the same tomorrow.
"Lance's Qualifying session was straightforward with clean and tidy laps, but Fernando was on the back foot after his accident in final practice. I want to recognise the huge effort of the team to repair Fernando's car. It was a real race against the clock to be ready for Qualifying. Thank you to everybody involved. Now we focus our efforts on the race tomorrow."
Friday
Fernando runs updates on the AMR24 in FP1 before both drivers carry them in FP2, allowing for comparison in performance.
Fernando finishes inside the top ten in both practice sessions, with Lance close in behind.
Weather remains dry throughout the day, allowing for consistent running for both drivers as team assesses updates. Rain is forecast for later in the weekend.
#18 | Lance Stroll | Free Practice
"I always enjoy coming back to Imola, it's a fun track to drive with a lot of history.
"Today was productive as we applied our updates to the car. We tested a lot of different things as we assessed the updates and we've gathered lots of data that we'll study overnight.
"I'm looking forward to Qualifying tomorrow. The field is closely packed together but with a strong performance we can give ourselves a good starting position for the Grand Prix."
#14 | Fernando Alonso | Free Practice
"It was nice to get back to a more traditional Friday schedule after a couple of Sprint weekends, allowing us to get lots of laps in as we assess the updates we've brought this weekend.
"We've gathered lots of data and now we'll analyse overnight the impact the updates have had on the car.
"Looking ahead to tomorrow, we know traffic will be challenging in Qualifying so we'll need to find gaps out on track and take advantage to set ourselves up well for Sunday's Grand Prix."
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