Since joining Formula 1 in 2021, Aston Martin have slowly been building towards big things, with a title charge always being on team owner Lawrence Stroll’s long-term agenda.
The team have been assembling a team of talented individuals from top teams, such as former Red Bull head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows, putting them in a strong position to create a competitive car.
2023 could finally be the year that Aston Martin realise their potential, after two consecutive seventh place finishes since they joined F1.
The team’s lap times put them in the same bracket as Mercedes and Ferrari in pre-season, with many pundits tipping Aston Martin to finish in third this season, ahead of the Silver Arrows.
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Fernando Alonso took part in a race simulation run on the final day of testing and has revealed that Aston Martin were actually faster than Ferrari during this run.
“On the last test day, for example, we did a race simulation. Then we did 57 laps, the same thing we are going to do this week in Bahrain,” said the Spaniard.
”We put fuel in for those 57 laps and did the full race with the full set-up, even changing tyres. At the same time, Ferrari were doing the same programme as us with the same fuel for the race, same stops – and we were slightly faster.”
While Alonso’s comments will certainly get Aston Martin fans excited about the upcoming season, team principal Mike Krack has been reluctant to buy into the hype.
While Aston Martin’s pre-season was very impressive, Krack would prefer to wait until the season starts to start putting expectations on the team.
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“I think it’s very, very difficult on such a test to make a proper judgement. It is nice to have good long runs, but you need to really put them into the right context, and let’s not start dreaming.”
Aston Martin have only scored one podium during their time in F1, coming in Baku in 2021 courtesy of Sebastian Vettel.
With the team on a high following pre-season testing, Aston Martin will hope to get off to a strong start at the Bahrain Grand Prix.