With the Formula 1 preseason over, shortened to just three test days, and with Red Bull once again at the forefront as the team to beat, the teams begin to make their calculations for the start of the World Cup, six days from now in Bahrain. . And in the soup of numbers, data, parameters and other criteria to measure potential, Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin has slipped into the favourites. Yes: from being the seventh team of 2022, to being considered one of the surprises. The rivals say it.
The one who has shown his astonishment the most with the performance exhibited by the Aston Martin these three days of tests has been Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes. In statements to the German publication AutoMotor Sport, the Austrian ex-driver suspects that the green car is in a position to sneak into the hegemony of the Big Three (the big three): “According to our calculations, the Aston Martin could finish second in Bahrain” , said Wolff, who has also admitted the difficulties that the new W14 of the star is having.
Another of the proper names who did not hesitate to highlight the notorious growth of Aston Martin was Adrian Newey, the great druid who made Red Bull a champion car with Sebastian Vettel. The British engineer said on Sky Sports, referring to the rivals that worry him for Red Bull: “Mercedes, Ferrari and maybe Aston Martin. I’m not worried about any more.”
And another prestigious voice, that of Christian Horner, head of the Red Bull team, was full of praise when he saw the Aston Martin on the track: “I think they have taken a big step. It seems that their concept car has taken them forward and it seems that They are not too far away”, said the Englishman on Formula1 TV, while applauding the physical and mental form of the Spaniard. “Fernando Alonso in particular looks very competitive,” he said of the Spanish driver.
But, if in the general calculation of preseason times the Aston Martin only looked up to the 9th best time, why has the green car been so amazing?
It is in terms of race pace that the Aston Martin promises. More than a qualifying lap, the best news for the Silverstone team in the Bahrain tests has been to verify its good progress in race simulation due to its low tire wear, in contrast, for example, with the Ferrari.
As Pedro de la Rosa, Aston Martin ambassador, explained to the Dazn TV microphone, “the new car has surprised by its low tire degradation, at the same time as the GP”, in the race simulation they carried out. “We are very happy with this low degradation in the lap by lap.” One more piece of information for optimism at Aston Martin.
Thus, according to the compared data of the 10 cars, the green could have gone from 7th place on the grid in 2022 to current 4th or 5th, ahead of middle class rivals such as Alpine (far behind the three days) and McLaren (with problems of cracks in the front deflectors). That is to say, that in a virtual hierarchy Aston Martin could be rubbing shoulders with Alfa Romeo in fourth place of the 10 teams, or even getting into the fight with Mercedes in third place.
Fernando Alonso, at 41 years old and in his 20th season in F1, has regained his enthusiasm, given the confidence he expresses in a clearly growing project. “Overall the car felt competitive all three days, but we need to compare it with the others next week. We have a lot of potential left to unlock and I think we are in a decent position for the start of the World Cup”, said the Asturian, without throwing the bells on the fly. “Our goal is to take a step forward from last year and we will go step by step.”
The impression of Pedro de la Rosa could not be more optimistic in relation to the Alonso that he has seen again after coinciding with him in his stages at McLaren (2007), at Ferrari (2010-14) and now at Aston Martin (2023): “I have found a Fernando like in the McLaren stage, very motivated, with the same hunger as in 2007, and with a greater ability to motivate the team.”
