How does Aston Martin assess its tough weekend in Spielberg?

Aston Martin endured another disappointing weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix as the Silverstone-based team once again found itself rooted to the back of the field.

On a circuit where overtaking opportunities are plentiful but outright pace remains essential, the Silverstone-based squad struggled throughout the race, eventually leaving Spielberg with one retirement and a solitary finish outside the points.

The team's race unravelled when Lance Stroll was forced to retire on lap 46 with a suspected ERS failure. Until then, the Canadian had been locked in a lonely battle with team mate Fernando Alonso, with neither Aston Martin able to challenge the cars ahead.

While Stroll's race ended prematurely, Alonso made it to the chequered flag but classified 18th after finishing three laps behind the race winner. His afternoon was further compromised by a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

Despite the disappointing result, Alonso viewed the race as another opportunity to gather valuable information as Aston Martin continues working towards a major upgrade package expected in the coming rounds.

"Another tough race weekend for us, but nothing we didn't expect," the Spaniard admitted. "It was valuable to finish the race, continue collecting data, and keep improving operationally. We have made some progress in some of these areas over recent weeks and can hopefully continue so that we are ready when our upgrade arrives."

With the British Grand Prix next on the calendar, Alonso hopes the team can maximise every opportunity in front of its home crowd while awaiting the performance improvements.

"Now, we look ahead to our home race next week at Silverstone, where we will aim to maximise everything in front of our supporters."

Stroll was encouraged by the balance of the car during his race and felt Aston Martin had managed its tyres effectively, particularly during the second stint. However, the suspected electrical issue ended any chance of reaching the finish.

"I felt comfortable in the car today and enjoyed my second stint as we managed the tyres well," he explained. "We always knew we wouldn't be up in the fight with anyone, but it was a good race between Fernando and myself."

The Canadian acknowledged the difficult position the team currently finds itself in but expressed confidence that upgrades currently in development could help close the gap to the midfield.

"Unfortunately, we had a suspected ERS issue, which we need to look into further, and had to retire the car. We know it's a very challenging time for everyone in the team, but everybody is working as hard as they can to bring upgrades to the car, so we need to be patient and hopefully in a few races' time we will be a bit more in the mix."

Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack echoed those sentiments, admitting the team always knew Austria would be a difficult challenge given its current level of competitiveness.

"It was a hot afternoon in Austria where we completed the race with Fernando in P18," said Krack. "We focused on extracting the maximum from the car, knowing that it would be difficult to compete with the cars ahead of us."

He also highlighted the close battle between his two drivers before Stroll's retirement: "Lance and Fernando were racing closely for most of the afternoon, running line astern until we had to retire Lance's car with a suspected ERS issue on lap 46."