F1 Team Introductions: Aston Martin is the black horse of this season! Why can Alonso be the key man?

The last of our ten featured teams. After pre-season testing, Aston Martin will go into the new season with high expectations. Fernando Alonso is undoubtedly an important factor in the battle for the top positions, as he has begun to pass on important know-how and, not least, experience to the team. What to expect from Aston Martin in the 2023 season?

Aston Martin in 2022

Last season didn’t quite work out for Aston Martin. The Northamptonshire team ended the 2022 season in seventh place in the final Constructors’ Cup standings, having accumulated 55 points throughout the season. It should be added, the same number of points was also scored by Alfa Romeo, with whom Aston lost the battle for sixth place in the Constructors’ Cup.

The Mercedes-powered stable recorded its best result in the Singapore Grand Prix, where it scored 12 points. Lance Stroll was sixth, Sebastian Vettel eighth. It was, however, Aston’s only double-digit points haul last season.

The team scored eight more points each in Azerbaijan and Japan, leaving the race weekend empty-handed seven times. And how were those points scored by Aston? 37 points were scored by Vettel during the 2022 season, who finished 12th overall in the drivers’ championship.

Stroll scored 18 points to finish 15th. Vettel drove his best result in Azerbaijan and Japan (the aforementioned eight points for sixth place), while Stroll’s best was sixth place, and therefore an eight-point performance, in the Singapore Grand Prix.

Important changes in the team – Vettel’s departure

It is the German driver Vettel who will not continue with the British stable for the 2023 season. The 35-year-old Heppenheim native decided to end his active formula career at the end of last year.

However, he has left a significant mark on Formula 1, having driven to four consecutive championship titles between 2010 and 2013. He was most famous at Red Bull, where he joined from sister team Torro Rosso in 2009. In the queen of motorsport he recorded 53 wins, 122 podiums and 3,098 points.

Whether he will be missed by Aston this year is still a big question. But the fact remains that he has been replaced by an equally quality and experienced driver who certainly has something to offer the Northamptonshire stable – Fernando Alonso.

Driver pairing

Aston Martin’s driver line-up for the 2023 season will consist of the Alonso – Stroll duo. We wrote about the results of the second mentioned man above. It is rather logical to ask a perfectly legitimate question.

If Aston does indeed confirm expectations after pre-season testing and the first half of the Bahrain VC, will Stroll prove to all his fans and detractors that he is not only in F1 because of his father? On the other side of the garage will be a more experienced, more seasoned, better quality and also sharper driver.

The legendary Spaniard Alonso has won two world titles in F1 and really has something to offer Aston Martin. His persona, in short, needs no introduction. In any case, with his performances so far in his short time with the team, he has answered all those who questioned his departure from Alpino.

With Alonso, though, the issue is not performance or driving skills as much as it is how owner Lawrence Stroll can tame him, plus how well he will work with the team.

This year’s monoposto

Pre-season testing or the first half of the race weekend in Bahrain have already hinted at something, but the following can still be predicted. We know we don’t know much. Yes, Aston has put its monoposts through a major evolution, as indicated by the redesigned wings or the completely different shape of the side skirts.

It’s almost certainly safe to say that Aston Martin reached back into its original concept and really did some work during the hiatus. But there are several questions in this context. Will it be enough? How far has the British team caught up with the elite three in terms of development and what can they wring out of their car during the 2023 season?

Big expectations for 2023

Aston Martin is a team with a very large number of question marks indeed. All of them will only be answered by the new season, so it’s very hard to predict anything now. But one thing is clear.

Aston Martin can undoubtedly be described as the dark horse of this year’s season, which can think very highly. The first race in Bahrain will tell us something, although as is usual in the world of the queen of motorsport, we will only know the real form of all teams after the opening three to five races.

Sources: F1, Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team