Despite the dip in form from the Austrian, some could argue that Aston Martin’s season has been superb. Their incredible turnaround is still one of the stories of 2023, with six podiums in eight races representing a huge performance gain compared to last year’s seventh place finish in the constructors’ standings. Here is their semi-annual report…
Excellent finish
Fernando Alonso – 2nd in Monaco and Canada
Fernando Alonso is enjoying life at Aston Martin and his many trips to the podium in 2023 will have helped. His second-place finish in Monaco and Canada will be sweet as the Spaniard has turned back the clock to give us some of his best performances, even at 42.
The debate became heated Following this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, many believe Alonso could have taken the win had he not pitted, while only part of the track was wet enough to take the medium tyres. Continued rain forced him to return to intermediates with the rest of the field.
Fernando Alonso has enjoyed six podiums, including P2 in Monaco in 2023
Head-to-head qualifying
Fernando Alonso 10-2 Lance Ula
Lance Stroll has put in some great performances this season – don’t forget he started the campaign racing with a broken wrist after a nasty cycling accident that prevented him from taking part in pre-season testing. But his team-mate Alonso has been performing incredibly well and his qualifying results show it.
Who can forget that amazing Monaco qualifying session when Max Verstappen was set to deliver one of the most breathtaking laps of all time around Monte Carlo this year, with the two-time world champion hoping to clinch pole position?
The Spaniards had a P2 in Miami and P3s in Saudi Arabia and Canada.
The race is head-to-head
Fernando Alonso 11-1 Lance Stroll
Alonso dominates the race head-to-head against his teammate, but that doesn’t prove the whole story. Stroll’s injuries back at the start of the season will no doubt have an impact – that comeback has been incredible – while the Canadian hasn’t had luck on his side either. He has earned praise from Alonso for some of his maneuvers on track Called 'The Best’.
But Alonso has been one of the drivers of the season, there’s no denying that. Six podiums is an impressive statistic and he continues to prove that age is a number.
Luck has not been on Lance Stroll’s side this year
Great moment
Alonso’s outing at Monaco was special and it reeled in the highlights of team principal Mike Cragg at Aston Martin. own medieval reflections.
Many thought that the Spaniard could achieve the long-awaited next victory – which his fans have been waiting for since 2013 – and it was very close.
First came his brilliant qualifying session, with only Verstappen edging him out of pole position and threatening to win the race – but with the aforementioned rain, who knows what might have happened had the team called a different pit stop.
Half-time report: Ferrari – Championship ambitions on the wane, but serious fight for second place
Bad moment
Hungary. In the words of Mike Cragg, it was a 'reality check’ for the team as they expected to do well in Budapest – instead P9 and P10 for Alonso and Stroll respectively.
The race result was a metaphor for what has happened to Aston Martin recently, and sums up their downfall, although it was not as dramatic as people thought. The composition of the other teams is improving dramatically – a certain McLaren team is testament to that – leaving Aston Martin racing as the fourth or fifth fastest car.
But the drop off was still enough to crack He apologized to his two drivers Over the decline in speed.
Inside Story: Best fit ever? 2023 Monaco Grand Prix | Lenovo
Going ahead
Aston Martin are still third in the championship and if they keep that up, it should be considered a success compared to where they are in 2022.
There is also genuine hope that the team have identified key weaknesses that have led to their slump in form since the summer break. At Spa, Alonso announced that the team is back in the mix and they hope the upcoming upgrades will see them fight back to the front.
Half-term report: McLaren – can they keep going after a very remarkable turnaround?
With a driver like Alonso operating at the peak of his otherworldly racing powers, which he has been all season, multiple podiums are certainly on the cards if the car’s performance improves again. Who knows, maybe even a hit.
But that progress is crucial for Aston Martin to maintain their current trajectory, with others around them desperately looking to gain places in the standings.
What’s more, second-placed Mercedes are only 51 points clear – a charge to P2 in the championship should be on target.
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