Vandoorne praises Aston Martin’s upgrades amid tough races

Aston Martin test and reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne insists that the Silverstone-based outfit’s upgrades that they brought to the AMR24 in Hungary have been a clear step forward.

The summer break is round the corner, but before shutting up shop for a few weeks in accordance with the FIA regulations, the F1 field makes the trip from Hungary to Belgium for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Reflecting on his job, local hero and Aston Martin’s Test and Reserve Driver Stoffel Vandoorne said: “I’ve been doing a lot of simulator work lately. Earlier this week, I did some correlation work for the last race in in Hungary, before focusing on preparations for Spa.

“The team did a fantastic job to get all the updates to Hungary ahead of the final two races before the summer break, and now we have extra time to analyse them and unlock their potential ahead of the races after the summer shutdown.

"I'll be busier with the team after the break because I won't have my Formula E commitments as the season has ended. We'll be pushing hard in the second part of the year as we try to take a step closer to those in front."

Pushed on to reveal his schedule at Spa, Vandoorne said: "I'll be doing everything Lance and Fernando do apart from driving to ensure I'm up to speed in case I have to jump in the car at some point.

“I'm doing the Pirelli Tyre Test on Tuesday and Wednesday after the Grand Prix, so I'll be observing everything that the team is doing this weekend to make sure I'm as prepared as possible for that."

"It's always special to drive a Formula One car – there's nothing that comes close to it. It's a year since I drove AMR23 at Spa and there was a lot of rain.

“It looks like it will be sunnier this time around so I'll get to have a proper feel for it. Driving an F1 car is the most amazing experience and I'm ready to get back in the cockpit. I'm very excited to drive AMR24 for the first time and to get to work next week."

The Belgian Grand Prix is the final race before the summer shutdown. Vandoorne insists that drivers will keep the challenges, that await them in the second part of the seaso, in mind during the summer break.

"You definitely want some time off by this point in the year. You want to switch off from racing because the season is very intense.

“There's a lot of pressure, a lot of media attention, and it's very physical because of all the travelling and back-to-back races, so you want to get some rest and recharge your batteries.

"At the same time, the season is ongoing . It's only a short break and there are still a lot of races after the shutdown so you can't fully relax. You're thinking about the second part of the season and making sure you don't lose focus on that.

"It's a balancing act. You take time to rest but also make sure you're ready to attack from the first race back."

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, in its current 7km iteration, is the longest circuit on the current calendar, and a firm favorite among the Formula 1 drivers.

It features fast and flowing corners such as Pouhon, Blanchimont and the Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex, along which drivers ascend flat out through the Ardennes Forest. Spa-Francorchamps also requires a trade-off for teams and drivers to settle upon the best approach.

"It's always very special for me when we go racing in Belgium, noted Vandoorne. “Even though I haven't driven an F1 car at the Belgian Grand Prix for a little while, it's always an event I look forward to. It's one of the highlights of the year.

"Whenever I've raced in front of a home crowd, I've thoroughly enjoyed it. You have a lot of people cheering for you and I've always had a lot of friends and family attending Spa. I think for anyone that has a home race it's always an incredibly special, unique feeling. It gives you extra energy to try and give the fans a good result.

"Spa is my favourite track – as it is for most drivers. It's an old-school, challenging circuit that rewards bravery. It's very long and there are a lot of elevation changes. You feel the ultimate performance of the car through its many fast, flowing corners.

"I love Pouhon, the double-left high-speed corner in Sector Two. The cornering speed that an F1 car carries through there is super impressive. It's very exciting and challenging to drive."

The power-hungry first and third sectors – which are almost flat-out bar the La Source hairpin and Bus Stop chicane – are counteracted by the lengthy middle sector with an abundance of medium- to high-speed corners.

Expanding on the ideal setup, Vandoorne added: "It's a difficult circuit to find the optimum setup. You have a big trade-off between downforce and drag to contend with because there are very long straights but also a lot of high-speed corners, particularly in Sector Two.

“In Sectors One and Three you want a Monza-type setup in terms of downforce to get high straight-line speed, but then in the middle sector you want higher downforce to optimise the cornering speed."

Spa has notoriously unpredictable weather and it often rains during the race weekend. Vandoorne said that teams need to be dynamic to react on the changes to weather conditions.

"You have to be dynamic. Ultimately, it's the same for everyone and it's usually those that are best prepared that do well in those conditions. It's about being on the track at the right time, especially in Qualifying, and having the right tyres on at the right time throughout the weekend.

"The lap is over such a long distance that when it starts to rain it can sometimes only affect part of the circuit. If that happens, it makes it very challenging for the drivers and very easy to make mistakes on the wet sections.

“Picking the right time to box for Wet tyres puts a lot of stress on the teams and the drivers but if you get it right you can be rewarded. It really requires a total team effort to perform well in wet conditions