Alonso: We didn't have time to carry out many checks.

      The end of the tests for the Aston Martin F1 turned out to be strange: yesterday Lance Stroll did not feel well, so Fernando Alonso got behind the wheel of the AMR25 in the morning session. After the break, the Canadian still started working on the track, but he did not last until the end of the day, and he was replaced by the two-time world champion again.

      The reason for Stroll's indisposition is quite obvious: According to the Spanish newspaper AS, half of the paddock has symptoms of a cold. But this is not the end of Aston Martin's problems, because its drivers managed to drive almost the least laps in the tests.

      It is still difficult to judge the speed capabilities of the Silverstone team's new car, but judging by the recordings made by the on-board cameras, the riders had to struggle with understeer and constantly work the steering wheel to correct the behavior of the AMR25 on the track.

      As a result, Alonso ended the day only in 16th place, and his result was 2.5 seconds worse than that of George Russell, the Mercedes driver who topped Friday's record.

      "The winter tests turned out to be very short for me," said Fernando, speaking to the Spanish press. – On the first day, I did 29 laps, on the second – 27, because it was raining, and only Friday's program (49 laps) can be called normal, but this is not enough.

      Only in Formula 1, before the start of the World Cup, only one and a half days are allowed for training. There is nothing like this in any other sport. Of course, we are happy that F1 has become so popular, but for some reason we forget that it is necessary to prepare at least minimally before the start of the season.

      I agree, everyone is in an equal position, and the car is not that new, but we did not have time to carry out many checks, with the exception of some settings. And if I don't need too many laps, then the beginners are in a different position.

      We can see that our car has certain advantages, data correlation also seems to be doing well, and the team has made a step forward compared to last year. But there are also negative aspects that need to be fixed for Australia, or at least during the season. The rivalry in the middle of the peloton promises to be very intense, and in order to count on points at the end of the Grand Prix, you will need to do everything perfectly.

      I will refrain from making predictions, because I did not follow what the other teams were doing, and I only know that Carlos Sainz showed the best time, but I only know because I read the Spanish press. But in general, I think that in the first four races of the season, the balance of power will be about the same as it was in December in Abu Dhabi."