A pretty extensive overhaul had been aimed at lifting the squad up the grid, but it ended up making the car more difficult to drive â contributing to Alonsoâs hefty FP3 crash.
Its struggles renewed concerns that the squad could be facing a repeat of what happened last year â when upgrades it introduced triggered some side-effects that hampered its performance.
Team principal Mike Krack is confident that things are different this year though, and that it can get to the bottom of what went wrong at Imola.
âYou guys are always quite quick with such conclusions,â he said when asked about if this was the same scenario unfolding as 2023. âWe had the same I think in Mexico, and then we were on the podium the week after.
âIn Germany, we say let’s keep the church in the town. So, letâs analyse what we have. We have some lessons to learn from what we have introduced, and we will do so and try to be stronger next week.â
But while a difficult car is the last thing that a driver needs this weekend around Monaco, Krack insist no consideration will be given to taking the new parts off to ensure a more consistent platform.
âThe upgrades are certainly a step forward and there’s no need to roll them off,â he said.
Aston Martin AMR24 front wing comparison
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
What was new on the Aston Martin
The front wing and nose assembly have both been overhauled extensively as part of the update, with the front wing incorporating a new design feature that we havenât seen before.
A V-shaped profile has been built into the two upper flaps to help segment the inboard and outboard portions of the wing (highlighted in yellow).
This design addition will undoubtedly have an impact on the wingâs overall ability to generate outwash and work in conjunction with the design features in the outboard section that already exist.
Furthermore, itâs worth considering the impact that these V-shaped geometries are having on the underside of the flaps too, rather than just the visible upper surface. They will help to create much needed definition to the airflowâs passage ahead of the front tyre.
As part of the team’s push to better manage flow in the outboard section of the wing and improve its outwash capabilities, the endplate has also been modified.
A more traditional straight trailing edge is favoured now, rather than the outgoing more sculpted variant. The surface terminates above the flap and endplate juncture to create another shedding surface, whilst also acting as a different flow proposition for the diveplane.
Thereâs numerous changes around the front wingâs central section and the nose too, as the latter has a new tip shape thatâs positioned further forward on the second element, which has also required that the team use a central support bracket between it and the mainplane.
This has resulted in the paired brackets either side of the nose being reduced from two per side to just one.
Thereâs now also the option for driver cooling to be opened-up in the nose tip, although the team preferred to blank this off during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The changes made to the nose tip and second element of the front wing have been made in tandem with alterations to the shape of the mainplaneâs leading edge too.
The element is now more tightly pinched in the centre and a more abrupt transition used as the mainplane extends out from the centreline.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24, is returned to the garage
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
There were also a whole host of changes made to the AMR24âs floor, floor fences, edge wing and diffuser, as the team looked to take advantage of the increased performance that the aforementioned changes should yield upstream.
The floor fences have been repositioned across the leading edge of the floor, whilst their shape has also been revised to work in conjunction with the remodelling of the underfloor.
It is also crucial to remember that whilst we can see the forward portion of each fence, they extend rearwards into the underfloor and help to drive the aerodynamic traffic both outboard and towards the diffuser.
The edge wing and embedded strakes have been cranked more aggressively, whilst the strakes now have metal covering their surface, likely to prevent them from fluttering and causing inconsistencies in the flow field.
The floorâs surface beside the edge wing also seems to have been amended, with a more contoured finish being employed, which suggests that thereâs similar going on with the underfloor, albeit with a concave surface, rather than convex contouring.
This daisy chain of alterations culminates in a change to the diffuserâs roof shape, with the team looking to exploit the gains expected from all of the alterations ahead.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
There were also alterations to the rear suspension fairings and the rear brake duct inlet, outlet and associated winglets mounted upon them, which all tie-in together for a more efficient use of their aerodynamic properties.
Watch: F1 2024 Emilia Romagna GP Review – Too Late for McLaren’s Charge on Red Bull