Aston Martin continues to surprise the Formula 1 paddock

Fernando Alonso was awarded the driver of the day at the Bahrain Grand Prix of the 2023 Formula 1 season, where the Spaniard took third place. Then, Alonso claimed his 100th podium finish after finishing third at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.  

Click here to subscribe to our print edition!

Notably, the impressive performance of the Aston Martin team had stirred attention within the paddock, following their noteworthy pace during the Formula 1 winter tests and the first two race weekends in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Let’s see how the team engineered such a significant leap in their performance.

Aston Martin has been the main surprise of Bahrain’s Formula 1 winter tests this year. The team continued to amaze with its pace during the free practice sessions during the first race weekend of the new season: Fernando Alonso was the second quickest in the first practice and became the fastest in the second and third! Former Formula 1 driver and now an expert of the British Sky Sports, Anthony Davidson, noted, “According to the racing pace, Aston Martin seems to be about three-four tenths off Red Bull, but this is incredible!”

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll reached Q3 in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing Sunday’s race third and sixth. Even after qualifying, Fernando Alonso said in his post-qualifying interview: “It’s just an incredible result, and the car we’re driving now, this is just the starting point of this project.”

What kind of “magical” car was built in Milton Keynes, and what did they change compared to last year?

Even during the presentation in February, when the team unveiled a new car, it was immediately apparent that there were significant differences from its predecessor, which were readily discernible. To understand them, we need to plunge into a detailed analysis. One of the great and comprehensive analyses of the new car’s characteristics has been presented by Mark Hughes, a Technical Expert on the Formula 1 website.

Dan Fallows, Aston Martin Technical Director, acknowledged that the AMR23 has great potential:

“The new car is an evolution of last year’s, but an aggressive evolution. The regulations prescribe reasonable restrictions, but we achieved significant improvements in many areas compared to last year’s car. Not only in aerodynamics but also in the mechanical part. Regardless of what our level of competitiveness turns out to be, it is gratifying that we have received a fairly good platform for further development in our car.