Aston Martin expects a difficult weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix as it awaits major car upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix next week.
The team struggled during Friday practice at Spa-Francorchamps. Lance Stroll posted a lap time of 1m51.131s, over five seconds behind pacesetter Kimi Antonelli. Fernando Alonso was three tenths slower than his teammate.
Trackside engineering chief Mike Krack said the poor showing aligned with expectations. "We knew this track was going to be probably the hardest of all," he said. He added that the team must remain realistic given its current deficit.
On Saturday morning Aston Martin fitted a new battery, control electronics and ancillary components to Alonso's car. This exceeded the seasonal allowance and will result in a back-of-the-grid start for the two-time world champion.
Krack praised the team's response to adversity and said ongoing optimisation work would help once the upgraded car arrives.
