The irruption of Aston Martin as a leading team in the 2023 Formula 1 World Cup it has caught even the most optimistic off guard. Since last winter, rumors pointed to a improvement of almost two seconds over the previous yearas Carlos Sainz pointed out at the Bahrain Grand Prix, since Fernando Alonso was able to easily overtake him on the back of his AMR23.
“We knew since December that his wind tunnel and simulator exit numbers were very good.”, explained the Madrid pilot. Even so, there is always a noticeable difference between the solid numbers of the simulator, which in the case of Aston Martin could not be fully exploited, and the actual performance on the track. The clearest example, Mercedes and the W13 from last year, which never performed at the level shown at the factory.
Ferrari also experienced a similar problem this season, with the SF-23 much slower than stated in winter simulations. Instead, to the delight of Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin confirmed its excellent numbers, improving an awful lot of 2.4 seconds compared to Ferrari’s 6 tenths gain in qualifying. Thus, the AMR23 turned out to be a technical mix between Red Bull and Mercedesalthough its unique innovations are undeniable.
“This is a fantastic car to drive” assured Fernando Alonso on team radio after finishing as third on the podium from Sakhir. Aston Martin’s excellent pace was clear even in pre-season testing, although only a few (including Mercedes) were convinced, including the Canadian mogul who bought the team a few years ago.
In fact, even at Aston Martin they were pleasantly surprised by their own progression: “The feeling we had after the test was that it was too good to be true.. We expected to return to reality”. The British team expected to be just behind the top three teams, which reflected somewhat in the standings, but in the race they exceeded their expectations… and those of Lawrence Stroll.
According to people close to the billionaire, father of his own driver Lance Stroll, this incredible initial result, coupled with the base potential of a ‘newborn’ and undeveloped car, also has motivated Lawrence Strollwhich has now more than ever an unstoppable desire and ambition to succeed in Formula 1so it seems to have promised redouble your efforts in financial investment for team growth.
Great news for Aston Martin, for Formula 1 as a sport and show, and for Fernando Alonso. The Asturian pilot thought he had taken a step back againthe umpteenth in his career, when he left Alpine, where they did not want him, for a project that happened in just eight months from being unflattering, to being an unknown quantity, to give the biggest surprise that is remembered on the grid since the appearance of Brawn GP.
Besides, not that Lawrence Stroll’s investment was exactly restrained in the last year. He signed Dan Fallows from Red Bull already Eric Blandin from Mercedes to build a car that many on social networks, joking, describe as ‘illegal’ due to the tremendous improvement it has experienced, also raising blisters in the teams that are now threatened by Aston Martin.
Not content with this, Stroll Sr. revolutionized the Aston Martin factory facilities, located in Silverstone, to be able to to open in 2024 the most modern Formula 1 factory in the worldnext to a new own wind tunnel at the forefront of technology more toe. And even so, even if it seems impossible, now he has promised to put more meat on the grill, inspired by a Fernando Alonso happy as a child with new shoes thanks to the most competitive car he has driven since 2012.
They have reasons within their competence, therefore, to fear the evolution of AMR23, not only for next year, but for this very year. Sources close to the team point out that, contrary to what was thought, the car will perform even better in Jeddah and Melbourne than it did in Bahrainso the possibilities are endless, and even the almighty Red Bull should be taking note.
