Why all eyes are on Aston Martin
Everyone wants to know if they can genuinely fight with Mercedes or Ferrari in 2023.
It’s the question that is consuming F1: Has Aston Martin really taken a huge step forward?
After two years of languishing near the back (they finished 7th in 2021 and 2022), there’s a genuine belief Aston Martin could now be a top team.
According to The Race, their long runs during pre-season testing showed they were “a couple of tenths faster than Mercedes and on par with Ferrari.”
The tweet below shows that a handful of pundits and websites think Aston Martin will be the 3rd or 4th quickest team at this weekend’s Bahrain season opener.
This prospect has many fans (me included) frothing at the mouth.
Though, I should stress the importance of the word “prospect” here. Right now, the chatter about Aston Martin is far from a proven certainty.
Unfortunately, each team’s true pace won’t be entirely revealed until qualifying in Bahrain.
Still, Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich raved about the new car - the AMR23 - after testing last week.
“It's really nice to drive, [it’s] more enjoyable than last year, with less porpoising and bouncing,” he said.
While Drugovich wouldn’t say whether he thinks Aston Martin really will be among the top teams, he did say the AMR23 “feels like a big step forward.”
The car is a new design for 2023 - and that work has been overseen by new technical director Dan Fallows, the former aerodynamics chief at Red Bull.
If there is a big leap in performance, Fallows’ overhaul is likely a big reason for it.
And if the AMR23 is then suddenly going up the inside of Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc, that will be a great story for F1 in general.
For too long a chasm has separated the top three F1 teams from everyone else.
Since I started watching F1 in 2014, there have only been four races where a team other than Red Bull, Ferrari, or Mercedes won.1
Just last season, McLaren was the only team outside the top three that got a podium.
Having more genuine contenders fighting at the front of the field will, in my view, only further increase F1’s appeal. It will be more competition, drama and unpredictability.
Also, who wouldn’t want to see Fernando Alonso, the hugely experienced two-time world champion, fighting for podiums and victories again?
Bring on Bahrain!
The four races since 2014 where a team other than Red Bull, Ferrari, or Mercedes won are:
Italy 2020 (Pierre Gasly for AlphaTauri)
Sahkir 2020 (Sergio Perez for Racing Point)
Hungary 2021 (Esteban Ocon for Alpine)
Italy 2021 (Daniel Ricciardo for McLaren).