Lando Norris mocks Fernando Alonso: “Some drivers have no idea”

The Formula 1 teams are taking very different approaches to the delicate balance between development pace and the cost cap. Over the first eight Grand Prix weekends, it has been noticeable that the top teams have been developing at a rapid pace, whilst at Aston Martin virtually nothing has happened. But there are reasons for this.

Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso in Austria: “I want to be successful with Aston Martin. But when you’re so far behind, it’s not easy to make up ground over the course of all these races. Under the cost cap, there’s no point in spending a lot of money just to go four tenths faster per lap. We need bigger steps; we have to think differently.”

The Spaniard continued: “It’s still surprising, though, to see the FIA website every Friday at the start of a race weekend, listing all the improvements to the cars. Perhaps our rivals have a money-printing machine in the basement.”

Formula 1 champion Lando Norris has been confronted with this statement, and it seems Alonso has struck a nerve. Norris is reacting with surprising sensitivity.

The 26-year-old Englishman says: “I think some drivers talk too much. They’ve got no idea. They’re not accountants. They don’t know how the cost cap really works.”

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Between the lines, Norris accuses Aston Martin of having been asleep at the wheel over the past few months: “It all depends on how quickly you get to grips with things. It depends on how much time you spend on each part, time in the wind tunnel, all those details. It’s all about efficiency – how you design and manufacture parts.”

“I don’t think people should be talking about other teams. Every team simply operates differently from the others, and you have to outdo them in every respect, even off the track.”