Alonso: “The new parts won’t make a big difference.”

Formula 1 will visit the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin this weekend, and Aston Martin, based in Silverstone, has brought a few new parts for the race. However, with the sprint race scheduled for the weekend, it remains to be seen how much the team can benefit from these parts.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Fernando Alonso said, “Sprint weekends are definitely a bit more challenging because you can’t really optimize some things, especially when you bring new parts to the car.”

“That’s why it’s important to start the weekend with good feel and confidence. All our preparations become more critical, and we try to get everything right.”

“We need to have plenty of tires and strategies to handle unexpected behaviors on Sunday. I think the biggest concern for all teams is optimizing the car’s performance.”

“More importantly, we want to test some of the new parts we’ve brought here during the first practice session.”

“But I don’t think these parts will change the whole picture; right now, our goal is to try to achieve a good correlation and see if all the new parts do what we expect from them.”

“However, as I said, this won’t create a big change in terms of performance and positions in the race.”

The two-time world champion is preparing to compete in his 400th race next week. When asked how he feels about reaching such a milestone in his F1 career, Alonso said, “Halfway through 400 races, I would have liked to win another championship or win more races.”

“But the situation I’m in shows my love for this sport and that I’ve been trying to perform at a very high level for over 20 years.”

“There’s a lot I miss from the past, like refueling, fast cars on Sundays, engine sounds, big sponsors, and grid girls.”

“Still, I think we’re in a good place right now; I can even say we’re in the best era of F1.”

“Formula 1 is very popular worldwide right now, especially in the U.S., thanks to Liberty Media and all their activities.”