Breaking news
WEC
Aston Martin: Improved form not just down to BoP
Aston Martin's says its upturn in form during this weekend's Silverstone FIA World Endurance Championship fixture is not just the result of pre-event Balance of Performance changes.
Gary Watkins
Edited: Aug 18, 2018, 4:00 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Alex Lynn, who qualified second in GTE Pro for Sunday's Silverstone 6 Hours with Maxime Martin, explained that the BoP changes for the new-for-2018 Aston Martin Vantage GTE were "only a part" of the reason for the improvement in Aston's performance in the opening two WEC rounds.
"We surprised ourselves with second in qualifying, but we've done so much development since the Le Mans 24 Hours," he told Motorsport.com.
"The BoP has played a part, but much of the performance we've found has come in the factory as we've developed the Vantage into a better racing car.
"We shouldn't forget that this is only our third race with car, so we are taking steps forward all the time."
Martin added: "We had an increase in boost to be the same speed on the straights, so we can focus a bit more on the driving of the car and the set-up. And the track is also suiting [more] the car."
The Prodrive-run Aston Martin Racing factory squad has only tested once since Le Mans, but technical director Dan Sayers explained that the team had "gone into every detail of the car" during the summer break.
"The BoP is a big part of it, but for example this is the first time we've got the most out of Michelin tyres," he said.
"We gathered a lot of data at Le Mans and we're now beginning to fully understand the car so the drivers can get the most out of it."
Sayers also suggested that the Silverstone circuit, with its proliferation of fast corners, "complements the Vantage".
"Silverstone suits our car and in theory should be one of our most competitive circuits," he said.
But Sayers warned that some of Aston Martin's rivals in GTE Pro might not have showed their hand during qualifying.
"I don't think we've seen the true pace from some of the other cars," he said.
The second-generation Vantage has been given a twin performance break for Silverstone under the so-called 'black-ball rule", which allows the BoP to be reset outside of the automatic system introduced last year.
The car has been given approximately 25bhp and 5kg lower minimum weight compared with Spa, the last round at which the auto BoP applied.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Silverstone WEC: Toyota locks out front row in qualifying
Next article Win a spot on the podium and a share of $100,000 with Le Mans Esports Series
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Gary Watkins
Ford steps up WEC preparations with second test car
WEC
WEC
Ford steps up WEC preparations with second test car
More from
Alex Lynn
Ricky Taylor drafted in at Jota Cadillac as WEC unveils Austin entry list
WEC
WEC
Ricky Taylor drafted in at Jota Cadillac as WEC unveils Austin entry list
WEC Sao Paulo win proves "sky is the limit" for Cadillac, says Alex Lynn
WEC
WEC
Interlagos
WEC Sao Paulo win proves "sky is the limit" for Cadillac, says Alex Lynn
Why Cadillac’s Alex Lynn "waited 12 months" for 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours qualifying
WEC
WEC
24 Hours of Le Mans
Why Cadillac’s Alex Lynn "waited 12 months" for 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours qualifying
More from
Aston Martin Racing
“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026
What the drivers are expecting from F1's return to Sepang
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
What the drivers are expecting from F1's return to Sepang
Latest news
M-Sport’s 2027 WRC Fiesta Kit car breaks cover
WRC
WRC WRC 1 h
M-Sport’s 2027 WRC Fiesta Kit car breaks cover
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe