Spanish GP
The Debrief by Aramco
Two cars into the points
Both cars finish in the points as Lance and Fernando give their all at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Hear from our drivers plus Team Principal Mike Krack after the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix.
Two cars into the points on a challenging but fruitful afternoon at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya where Lance came home ahead of team-mate Fernando.
Friday and Saturday were busy days for the team under changeable conditions, with red flags punctuating the action. Sunday was a caution-free race under grey skies while our fans added the colour and noise, unfurling two huge AMF1 Team flags at Turn Nine before the race began.
From fifth on the grid, Lance started on a used set of Softs and enjoyed a stunning start to the Grand Prix. He kept up a solid pace, pitting twice, and finishing sixth for his best result since Australia.
Fernando also completed a two-stop strategy but went longer on the used Softs. Like Lance, he closed out the race on new Hard compound. He took P7 at home as Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team left Spain with another healthy points haul.
Scroll down to read the post-race comments from Lance, Fernando and AMF1 Team Principal Mike Krack after Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
The Grand Prix
"It was a fun battle with Lewis [Hamilton] on the first lap; I've pulled that move off before so I knew there was a gap and figured Lewis would leave me a bit of space, which he did. That put me in a good position going into Turn Five and I could hold the place." Lance made a blistering start to the Grand Prix from P5 on the grid, picking off two cars soon after the lights went out.
"We didn’t have as much pace today on both the Soft and Hard compounds, so it was a tricky race for us. We tried to go longer on our strategy and hoped it would pay off later with fresher tyres, but our rivals had a little more pace." Fernando explains why he went longer than his rivals on the used Soft tyres in the early stage of the race.
"It was good to have both Aston Martins finish well this afternoon and we come away from Barcelona with 14 points. Lance and Fernando pushed hard all afternoon, made some important overtakes, and showed great teamwork." Our Team Principal Mike Krack had high praise for both drivers after Sunday's performance.
"Then, from about five laps in, we really struggled with the pace. My tyre degradation was higher than expected but the cars around us didn’t seem to have the same issue, so it's something we’ll look to understand for the coming races." Lance said tyre wear proved an issue in Spain and he lost those hard-fought places at the start, but stayed firmly in the mix throughout.
"We should not be disappointed with this result – even though we did not quite have the pace to fight for the podium today. It was in the first stint on the Softs that we did not quite have the performance to catch the cars ahead and in the second and third stints we managed our pace and had a comfortable advantage over the teams behind us." Mike adds that, while the result wasn't the podium the Team was hoping for, Lance and Fernando still delivered despite some difficulties.
"We bring home some good points finishing sixth and seventh, but I think we'd been hoping for slightly more today. I’m looking forward to heading to Canada, my home race, in a few days' time." Perhaps it wasn't what he wanted, but Lance held off a number of rivals and finished sixth. He heads to his home race at Montréal with a strong foundation to build upon.
"I think sixth and seventh positions were the maximum for us. I thought our performance seemed better in qualifying, so I think we need to look at why and aim to bounce back for Canada." Fernando points out that Sunday was a more difficult day than anticipated, and there's work to do as AMF1 Team head to Canada.
"We still scored some solid points and we had no risk at the end of the race. I want to thank the fans for their passion, energy and support this weekend. It was very emotional and special for me." Spain was still a special weekend for our home driver thanks to the fans, who turned out to support us and turned up the atmosphere. With P7, Fernando ensured a seventh-straight points score.
"Before we leave Spain, I want to say a big thank you to the passionate fans: their energy has been very motivating throughout this race week, and we have really enjoyed racing here." It's clear that our fans left a lasting impact on the team in Spain; it's only appropriate that Mike's last word goes out to you.