Since joining F1 in 2021, Aston Martin have been resigned to two seventh place finishes in the constructors’ championship.
Despite having the backing of Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll and the legendary Sebastian Vettel behind the wheel, something has just been missing.
In an attempt to change their fortunes, the team have been poaching many talented members of staff from the top teams, with Red Bull’s former head of aerodynamics, Dan Fallows, now Aston Martin’s technical director.
All of this knowledge and experience from working on top cars for top teams has now paid dividends for Aston Martin, with the team in phenomenal form so far this season.
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Aston Martin look to be quicker than both Ferrari and Mercedes and managed to pick up a podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix via Fernando Alonso’s stunning debut performance.
Despite this lightening start to the season, team principal Mike Krack has urged his team to be humble, with only one race out of 23 gone this season.
“Maybe today [we were second fastest], but we need to keep our feet on the ground. There will be new cars in Jeddah, a completely different track,” he said after the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“And we must also not forget who we are with here – Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull. They are really strong teams we respect a lot.
“It can well be that in two weeks’ time, we are fourth or fifth or sixth.”
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Using Dan Fallows’ knowledge and experience working on the RB18, Aston Martin have designed a car that strongly resembles last year’s Red Bull.
Whilst jokes have been made in the paddock about the resemblance, Red Bull have confirmed that they are not accusing Aston Martin of copying and do not plan to launch a protest.
The advantage that Aston Martin have over Ferrari and Mercedes is that their design works, meaning that they can upgrade straight away rather than having to make any decisions or changes to their concept.