05 April 2024 , 19:58
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Lance Stroll has received the first big upgrade of the season from Aston Martin ahead of Fernando Alonso due to the race-ending crash he suffered in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
A report from German publication Auto Motor und Sport has revealed that Stroll's retirement after five laps in the Middle East led to him receiving priority ahead of this weekend's race in Japan. Stroll crashed into a barrier on his fifth lap in Jeddah and left his chassis needing repairs.
Stroll ran new parts on Friday's practice at Suzuka while Alonso was left to run the previous-spec AMR24, despite sitting eight points ahead of his teammate in the championship. It is said that Stroll fitted the new parts as they went along, after repairs were required on Stroll's car, rather than brining a separate upgrade to Japan.
Alonso, the 2005 and 2006 World Champion, saw his upgrades arrive in Japan late on Friday with Aston Martin now left with the decision of whether to fit the new parts in time for race qualifying or to wait until the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai international circuit in two weeks time.
The veteran driver recorded a time almost 1.5 seconds quicker than Stroll in opening practice as they placed seventh and 15th respectively. Alonso appears to have continued his dominance over the Canadian after recording eight podium finishes last term, while Stroll suffered a difficult season.
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Mike Krack, Aston Martin's team principal, suggested it was the team's plan to run both the new and old-spec AMR24 in practice. They hoped to make a direct comparison at Suzuka. He said: “We had two bad experiences last year with not splitting up when upgrading.
Krack was also questioned about a possible move for Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey on Friday. The 52-year-old Aston Martin boss replied with a simple 'no' before being pressed on the situation.
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack does not suffer from a lack of ambition (Getty Images)He added: "Look, we have a very strong technical team with Dan [Fallows], with Tom [McCullough], with Luca [Furbatto]. We were joined lately by Bob Bell. We're quite happy with what we have at the moment."
Max Verstappen posted the quickest time in Friday's first practice session ahead of teammate Sergio Perez, while Carlos Sainz placed third in front of Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Practice two saw more unrepresentative results with limited action on the track due to wet weather. Oscar Piastri finished fastest for McLaren with Lewis Hamilton and Carles Leclerc rounding out the top tree.