Aston Martin doesn’t look at Red Bull or Mercedes, but their rivals do have them very present. They have been the great revelation of this beginning of the year and, although those from Silverstone put their feet on the ground and assume that their fight is not at the top of the table, the big ones don’t believe it and They already take them into account for everything that comes. Fernando Alonso’s podium finish in Bahrain and being the second fastest car on track during the grand prix has scared everyone else. They opted for a “90%” new car and, despite the fact that the performance of the AMR23 will have to be seen on other tracks with completely different characteristics, the great revolution seems to work. They have gone from being last in Sakhir 2022 to a third place that tastes like victory. F1 does not know the impossible.
The green team dreams big because, after such an important step forward as this year, they have little to lose and much to bet on. And best of all, more improvements are on the way. Which, in turn, is not so funny to its rivals. Mercedes is happy about this leap in quality because, to a certain extent, it also benefits them: they assume that they will have to study their client to solve the problems and, they confess, they may need a mindset change to return to being the winning brand that they were for eight consecutive years. On the other hand, Red Bull is much more blunt and, despite signing a double in Bahrain, they go into ‘attack mode’ with Aston Martin. In fact, it was Checo Pérez during the press conference after the race who launched the first of the accusations with an ironic tone: “It’s good to see three Red Bulls on the podium…”. Helmut Marko continued in the same vein, perhaps a little more seriously.
The resemblance is not a secret, but it is evident, although it has its reason for being. Aston Martin signed the former head of aerodynamics of the energetics, Dan Fallows, who joined the Silverstone project in 2021. He worked hand-in-hand with Adrian Newley, Fundamental piece of Red Bull and thinking head of all the improvements that come to the single-seaters from the factory. The loss was hard, but the boss of him, Christian Horner does not regret it. Copy or not, it seems that those from Milton Keynes are threatened despite their superiority on the track and, after the first race of the year, the Briton uses his particular irony when asked about motorsport.com About Aston Martin: “It’s flattering to see the resemblance of that car to ours, It was great to see all three on the podium.” He insists, but admits the improvement of those from Silverstone who managed to beat Ferrari in the first round of the year: They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. And it’s a good thing that the old car runs so well. According to the result of the race, they are the second strongest team.”
Aston Martin can go “even better” in Jeddah
Needless to say, Aston Martin will be at the fight scheduled for next week in Jeddah. The layout is completely different, characteristics that will benefit the greater potential of the Red Bull, but Horner is on lead feet. He assures that, after so many years in the paddock, He knows that “things change quickly” and, faced with cars that “are still relatively immature”, anything is possible. “As the teams develop and the updates arrive, things will change,” he admits.
And rightly so because from Aston Martin changes are already expected and, be careful, because from the circle closest to Lance Stroll they already warn: the AMR23 can go “even better” in the Saudi Arabian GP according to the simulations. Words from Nuno Pinto, assistant and coach of Alonso’s partner, to the podcast Let’s talk about FUm: “In theory, Bahrain was not the strongest track for the team at the start of the championship. In theory, the potential of the car in Jeddah was better than in Bahrain, removing degradation from the equation, speaking of pure and hard competitiveness”. The moment of truth will be seen next weekend and, meanwhile, increases the souffle and the illusion of continuing to dream.