Aston Martin entered the 2023 Formula 1 season with some uncertainty surrounding their performance. They were not as impressive as they were at the beginning of the season, where they were second only to Red Bull. However, in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix last week, Fernando Alonso managed to secure a sixth-place grid position in a commendable effort. Unfortunately, the race on Saturday did not reflect this strong qualifying performance for Aston Martin.
Despite his best efforts, Alonso could not improve on his ninth-place finish, placing Aston Martin at the bottom of the top five teams. Red Bull took first place, followed by Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren, with the latter two teams closely matched. Aston Martin found themselves trailing behind. Despite this, Alonso was not surprised by the result and stated that their simulations had predicted a ninth-place finish with little competition ahead. The top four teams were too far ahead, and there was a comfortable gap behind Aston Martin. Alonso noted that he had McLaren 18 seconds ahead and Saubers 28 seconds behind, leaving Aston Martin in a race of their own.
Alonso also emphasized that his qualifying performance did not accurately represent the pace of the AMR24. He believed that his exceptional lap during qualifying was not indicative of their overall speed. Aston Martin is lacking pace and will need to analyze why they were so fast during qualifying. Alonso considered the race to be normal, with the standout moment being his impressive lap in qualifying.
Aston Martin had a strong start to the 2023 F1 season but gradually lost ground to Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren as these teams outpaced them in development. Despite a late-season upgrade, the AMR23 did not see improvement. However, Alonso revealed that Aston Martin is taking a different approach in 2024. They aim to begin with a competitive package and ensure proper development throughout the season.
“When I visited the factory during the holiday season and in January, the expectations were very realistic,” stated the Spanish driver. “We were aware of the type of progress we were making over the winter. However, we completely altered our approach to the championship, starting with a solid foundation and continuously improving throughout the season.
“Last year, we put all our efforts into the beginning of the season and were unable to keep up with the pace of the top teams. Therefore, this year we have higher hopes for the latter part of the championship.
“Naturally, we need to confirm this in the upcoming weeks and races. Nevertheless, I am confident and content. To be honest, I expect our team to be the fourth or fifth fastest, just as we finished last year. So, we are starting from the same point where we left off in Abu Dhabi.
“Now, it is our responsibility to take a significant step forward, similar to McLaren’s transformation in 2023, and become a stronger team in the second half,” he added, referring to McLaren’s major upgrade in Austria that had a positive impact on their season.
When asked about his predictions for the second F1 race in Saudi Arabia this week, Alonso responded, “Let’s wait and see. I believe it will be interesting, as the circuit characteristics are quite different.
“This year’s car was only tested here during the winter and in the first race, so it will be the first opportunity to compare it on a different track. Apart from Aston Martin, I believe the performance of the cars is similar to last year.
“Ferrari was the second fastest team last year, and they remain strong this year. Leclerc’s unfortunate incident prevented them from achieving a podium in Bahrain, but they managed to secure one this year.
“In Saudi Arabia, Aston Martin and Mercedes were slightly ahead of Ferrari, so we will see if we and Mercedes are prepared to challenge them. However, I expect Red Bull to maintain their dominance,” Alonso concluded.