While several rivals have opted to make major concept changes Aston focussed on an evolution of the 2023 model, which earned eight podium finishes in the hands of Fernando Alonso despite a dip in form in the second half of the season.
The days of testing in Bahrain suggested that the team has made the progress it was seeking with the initial launch package, even if others set more eye-catching headline times.
“When we went into this season really looking for a step over the winter, we wanted to make sure we did get an improvement,” said Fallows.
“Even though it's an evolution of last year's car, we wanted it to be a strong improvement as well as a strong evolution. And, we have seen that step, we've seen that benefit. So we’re very pleased about that.
“I think the most important thing for us is where we go from here. We weren't 100% pleased with what we achieved in our in-season development last year. And we wanted to make sure we can compete at the top level in terms of in-season as well.
“I think we were mostly keen on making sure we made a step on last year, which we have done. So I think we can certainly tick that box.”
Alonso made clear at the car’s launch that the key areas that needed to be addressed were straight-line speed and downforce in high-speed corners.
Source: Autosport