2023 Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix highlights

Fernando finished sixth and Lance 11th under the lights amid the intense heat at Lusail International Circuit.

Fernando Alonso

It was an extreme race today with the hot conditions and perhaps one of the toughest we’ve faced. We also had an issue with the seat being very hot from around Lap 15, which made it quite challenging. We were competitive, though, and I’m happy to finish sixth after a few weekends where we didn’t have the pace. We finished ninth in Monza and eighth in Japan, and here I felt like we were in the mix. Perhaps as a sport, we can think about some measures in the future if we experience these extreme temperatures again.

Lance Stroll

We finished ninth on track today, with track limit penalties demoting us to 11th. It’s disappointing not to take any points away, having raced so hard in such physically demanding conditions. The temperatures we faced out there were extreme – more so than any other event – and there are lots of tight corners here, so you’re constantly battling the g-forces. There are positives to take away, though; the car had more pace today, and the team made some good strategy decisions with the regulated tyre constraints. The team in the garage did a great job in such challenging conditions, too.

Mike Krack, Team Principal:

We scored important points today, but it was not an easy race with the intense heat and tyre strategies available to us. They were tough conditions to go racing in, and we saw all the drivers needing to hydrate after the race. I don’t think there was much more available to us in terms of the overall results. We had a good opening stint, and the strategy calls were the right ones. Fernando suffered some floor damage after a trip through the gravel, which made it difficult to stay ahead of Charles [Leclerc]. Lance had a good recovery from his starting position and was on track for points without the post-race time penalties. It is clear we need to find more performance, and our full attention is on doing that for the upcoming races.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team best pictures:

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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23, makes a stop

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Car details

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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team, and Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, during a fan forum

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Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team, on the pit wall

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Aston Martin pit stop practice

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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, with David Beckham

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