Dan Fallows: Rain during practice makes it harder to work

Before the start of the Dutch weekend, Aston Martin technical director Dan Fallows spoke about expectations for the second part of the season…

Q: Why is the summer vacation so important to us?
Dan Fallows: Summer vacation is a unique opportunity to turn off the phone, not check email, and get some rest given how busy and busy this season is getting.

It was important for all team members to relax and recover, but now we are ready to continue the battle in the second part of the season.

Q: How do you currently evaluate the results of the team, Lance and Fernando?
Dan Fallows: The team has had a very good season, both riders have shown excellent results. In Fernando, Lance got a fantastic partner. Alonso is an exceptional driver and has been demonstrating his abilities since the start of the season.

Given Lance’s injuries in a pre-season cycling accident and his focus on recovery, he’s also shown great results. Both drivers have helped us understand where the car needs improvement.

Question: What will be the program for Fernando and Lance in training at Zandvoort?
Dan Fallows: We need to evaluate the behavior of tires on a fast circle and on a long distance, as well as our new products – in Zandford we will check their aerodynamic efficiency.

To balance these two challenges, we have a basic training program that we run at every Grand Prix and adjust accordingly, leaving plenty of time for aerodynamic testing.

Q: What if it rains on Friday or Saturday?
Dan Fallows: Rain during practice will make work difficult, reducing time on the track. As much as we want to do as many laps as possible, in the rain it’s important to evaluate the risk in bad weather and the return we get in the form of data.

We want to minimize the chance of damage to the car and if we think it is big enough, we will leave our drivers in the pits.

Q: What is our goal for this weekend?
Dan Fallows: We are constantly trying to improve our understanding of AMR23. Now that we know the car’s weaknesses, we are taking steps to eliminate them, and we hope that the Zandvoort stage, with our latest updates, will confirm that we are moving in the right direction and help Lance and Fernando get ahead of the points fight.