Fernando Alonso (ESP) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR23. 07.10.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 18, Qatar Grand Prix, Doha, Qatar, Sprint Day.
Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has revealed the burning seat Fernando Alonso encountered during the Qatar Grand Prix is a repeat issue it’s “working” on.
Alonso radioed in during the opening stages of the race to inform the team that there was a burning sensation on the seat beneath him.
“The seat is burning, mate. Anything we can do at the pit stop? Throw me water or something,” Alonso queried.
However, the team were unable to act, with Alonso revealing on Sunday evening that the regulations didn’t allow for the mechanics to intervene to soothe his troubles.
Later on, Krack disclosed that Alonso had previously complained about the problem, which was worsened by the extreme conditions present at the Lusail circuit.
Asked if such a situation had materialised previously, Krack said: “Yes, it’s true. He reported on it already a couple of times.
“We were working on it. And it’s not that we have not done anything. We had it also in Singapore, which we thought was much, much better.
“But then obviously, we have another set of extreme conditions, so I think we’re not far from air conditioning if it continues like that.”
Pressed to explain why the AMR23 is encountering such an issue, Krack replied: “You have hydraulic lines, you have ECUs around you. They’re all heating up, and you try to isolate the seat from it.
“But also, you do not want to have any kind of active cooling because it’s just weight.”
Fernando Alonso (ESP) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR23. 08.10.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 18, Qatar Grand Prix, Doha, Qatar, Race Day
Alonso believes the concern on the right-hand side of the seat was not exclusive to his car, hinting that team-mate Lance Stroll was also managing the minor hitch.
“I think for Lance and myself we struggled a little bit with temperature in the seat on the right-hand side,” Alonso elucidated.
“I got a burn in the first 15 laps, so I even asked on the radio if they could throw me some water or something at the pitstop, which apparently is not allowed. So yeah, it was quite extreme.
“We have been dealing with some issues. Today was extreme.”
Alonso battled through his concerns to eventually finish sixth, despite a brief off-track excursion at Turn 2 costing him a position to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
However, Stroll’s torrid run continued as a time penalty for a track limits infringement dropped him from ninth down to 11th.
McLaren’s second consecutive double podium, meanwhile, enabled it to close to within 11 points of Aston Martin in the battle for fourth in the Constructors’ standings.
Keyword: Aston Martin ‘working’ on recurring Alonso burning seat issue