2025 Aston Martin | Aramco F1 Team

[Otromundo]

I'm sorry to disagree with the majority. For me, given the current car, I think the best teammate is Lance. If the car improves significantly (ALO is starting to shine near the podium +/-) and Lance can't stay in the top 10 (3-5 cars behind ALO), then that would change things.

The car hasn't been going well since the start of last season. The team has been unable to improve its performance. Lance is the son of the team owner. ALO is the first driver, but if the car improves, he has to be able to do so too. And it would be strange if he didn't. Everything is perfect for season 26 with a genuine AN car.

There's an old Spanish saying whose English equivalent is: "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't." I think popular wisdom is usually right.

I'm not saying who is or isn't the better driver for the team. I'm just trying to point out that there is another way of reading the tea leaves of Alonso not getting the Imola upgrades first.

It wasn't directed at you, Diffuser. I'm saying this in a general sense, since you're having a debate (1). It's directed at everyone simply as an opinion on the matter. I think we need to be careful, patient, improve, and ultimately succeed based on what we already have.

(1) Edited: Rather, to avoid confusion, "there is a debate."

[diffuser]

I'm sorry to disagree with the majority. For me, given the current car, I think the best teammate is Lance. If the car improves significantly (ALO is starting to shine near the podium +/-) and Lance can't stay in the top 10 (3-5 cars behind ALO), then that would change things.

The car hasn't been going well since the start of last season. The team has been unable to improve its performance. Lance is the son of the team owner. ALO is the first driver, but if the car improves, he has to be able to do so too. And it would be strange if he didn't. Everything is perfect for season 26 with a genuine AN car.

There's an old Spanish saying whose English equivalent is: "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't." I think popular wisdom is usually right.

I'm not saying who is or isn't the better driver for the team. I'm just trying to point out that there is another way of reading the tea leaves of Alonso not getting the Imola upgrades first.

It wasn't directed at you, Diffuser. I'm saying this in a general sense, since you're having a debate (1). It's directed at everyone simply as an opinion on the matter. I think we need to be careful, patient, improve, and ultimately succeed based on what we already have.

(1) Edited: Rather, to avoid confusion, "there is a debate."

Right, I thought, maybe wrongly, that since you went after defending Lance. That my post was being interpreted as being fore getting rid of Lance. I was just trying to clarified my post on the basis of what you wrote.

[Otromundo]

No problem, and thanks for the reply. I had to edit because I wanted to use the plural (you've) and I made a mistake (it came out as you're). I didn't realize it when I reviewed the text before publishing it. It was afterward and I said to myself: "Oh my God, what a fix I've made". Now that it's all explained, I feel great.

Being an ALO fan is exhausting. The epic aspect is fine; perhaps that's when you enjoy a hobby the most. But epic moments also have disastrous moments (the clearest example was when SAI Sr. lost the WRC because he couldn't start his car with the finish line in sight!!!). And ALO sometimes feels too much like SAI Sr. That's when I start to think that being an Alonso fan has gone from epic to masochistic.

That's why, right now, I prefer not to make major changes to the team. There have been enough. The only change I want is for the car to work properly, once and for all. I don't want any more problems. Otherwise, we'll end up putting ALO in intensive care over the winter to keep him from aging.

I think with the technical signings they just need time to get organized. And in the meantime, leaving them alone, I think, is the best thing to do. I'm confident they'll surprise us soon. Oremus ...