Fernando Alonso has called on Aston Martin to improve its straight-line speed after being forced to “invent“ overtakes during the Spanish Grand Prix.
Alonso finally clinched his first points of the season with a strong drive to ninth place around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
His crucial overtakes during the race were made around the outside of Turn 3 as he made use of his grip to pull off eye-catching moves.
Despite gaining on his 10th-place starting position, Alonso admitted he expected to have stronger race pace.
“I was expecting more probably from the race,” Alonso told media including RacingNews365.
“I felt more competitive in qualifying than in the race. We had a lot of front tyre degradation, so the front left was done by seven laps into the stint.
“We lacked top speed, on the straights, we were losing a lot. I didn't make a single overtake on the DRS.
“They were all made in Turn 3 on the outside, which is not a normal place to overtake, but we had to invent this kind of moves.”
Alonso highlighted Aston Martin's straight-line deficit has been a consistent problem this year and pinpointed it as a crucial area for improvement in the races ahead.
“In Imola, it was out of Turn 7 where I made three overtakers in the last few laps,” he added.
“We need to solve this situation and start overtaking on the straights with the DRS like everyone does.”
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