British Carmaker Aston Martin’s F1 constructor team, previously known as Sahara Force India and Racing Point, is owned by Canadian Billionaire Lawrence Stroll. The team has been under much scrutiny after their sidepod fiasco in 2022, where fans dubbed them ‘Green Red Bull’.
Their challenger for the 2023 season is called the AMR23 and will be driven by the owner’s son, Lance Stroll, and 2X WDC champion Fernando Alonso who has replaced 4X WDC winner, Sebastian Vettel.
The all-new AMR23 was launched at Silverstone on the 13th of February. With the arrival of Dan Fallows to the engineering team, the team has aspired to be more aggressive with their car. The AMR23 is aerodynamically quite different, the mechanical elements have been completely overhauled, and the car has been subjected to a very rigorous approach in order to achieve the weight limit. The design has been tweaked a lot more for aerodynamics and it has drawn inspiration from both Red Bull and Ferrari.
Introducing the #AMR23.#NewEnergy pic.twitter.com/yAQbYJMmEz
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) February 13, 2023
The car is a darker shade of green, to facilitate the emergence of carbon fiber in the car. The AMR23 follows a similar theme to the other cars this season, going dark to match the exposed carbon fiber. Aramco and Cognizant take their place on both wings similar to last year’s AMR22.
Fans react to the AMR23
Fans have reacted unanimously to the AM23, saying that it is essentially the same. What fans actually wanted to see is, how Lance Stroll matches up to the 2X WDC champion from Spain. One fan said, “If there is ever a time a driver beats their team mate 23-0, it’s this year. Fernando will have Stroll for breakfast.”
glad Alonso isnt a walking BWT commercial anymore
— Michael (@Lakitu886) February 13, 2023
If there is ever a time a driver beats their team mate 23-0, it’s this year. Fernando will have Stroll for breakfast.
— Goalazo (@Goalazo90) February 13, 2023
Should have changed the car as well
— Jake Who Tweets (@Jake_Who_Tweets) February 13, 2023
It is pretty apparent that fans wanted more than a change of shade in the livery, but with a few changes to the design, the team hopes to improve their performance.
Aston Martin’s 2022 Season
Aston Martin finished 7th in the Constructors standings with 55 points even though they were tied with rival Alfa Romeo, they were placed lower due to Valtteri Bottas’ 5th place finish in the Emiglia Romana GP. Lance Stroll finished in 15th place with 18 points and Vettel in 12th place with 37 points in the WDC standings.
Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from the sport post the 2022 season, this sent the drivers market into a frenzy, and the Spaniard, Fernando Alonso signed as a driver for the 2023 season.
The Canadian driver, on the other hand, commented on the season “Well, I think we really struggled at the beginning of the year, I think we were far off the pace at the beginning of the year, but the guys have done a great job improving the car. You know, we introduced a new package in… was it Barcelona? That was kind of the beginning of change.”
He also said that it was all about ‘clean races’ that involve no mid-race issues such as DNFs, pointing out Vettel’s pit stop issue at Austin and his own DNF in the same. After the whole ‘Danke Seb’ episode midway through the season, Alonso, quite unpredictably signed for the British carmakers.
Moreover, Alonso justified his move by saying that “The team is determined to become a championship contender and will do whatever it takes to get there. This ambition is appealing to any racing driver.”
Aston Martin Cognizant’s 2023 Sponsors, Plans and Strategy
Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows commented in the release event that they improved it in every aspect and that the AMR23 is optimized for better performance.
Fernando Alonso said “We launch the car in this brand-new factory, I think everyone can now see the scale of the ambition and determination at the heart of this organization.”
“I’ve always got along very well with him – and it will be fantastic to race alongside him.” said Lance Stroll when asked about his new teammate.
We’re back! Join us LIVE over on @tiktok_uk with Lissie Mackintosh. 👋
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) February 13, 2023
Lissie will be joined by @1JessicaHawkins and @svandoorne as we get ready for the #AMR23 launch event.
Tap below to watch.
However, the constructor plans to move to the top of the mid table, which they conceded to Alpine in 2023. Aston Martin is prepared to implement an “aggressive development strategy” in 2023. The British team finished seventh in the Constructors’ Standings in 2022, but the new season will see a reconstructed team and strategy.