Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin have made a surprising start to the 2023 season, and it could get better. Aston Martin turned a lot of heads during pre-season testing when Fernando Alonso was putting up a few impressive times on the board.
Although it was satisfying to watch it, many people disregarded it thinking the other teams were just sandbagging. It was not until qualifying that people realized how good the team was this year. Fernando Alonso has managed to get back-to-back podiums in the first two races with his new team. Many people wonder how this is possible considering their performance in 2022.
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Aston Martin placed in 7th position in the World Constructor’s Championship (WCC) in 2022 and 2021. However, in 2023, they seem to be on target for a P2 finish in 2023, and maybe even a championship in 2024.
How did Aston Martin make its leap?
There is no official story on how the team made this leap. But a possible explanation is Wind Tunnel Time. Wind Tunnel time is used to design and test car parts. In this modern era of Formula 1, Aerodynamics plays a very important role when it comes to the pace of the car. Every second they can spend at the wind tunnel matter.
Usually, the teams will spend the first half of the season trying to upgrade the current car, and slowly start to focus on the next year’s car during the second half. This is what most teams do. But Aston Martin could have done otherwise.
During the 2022 season, Aston Martin could have decided to work on the 2023 car, as they did not have much hope of accomplishing too much during the 2022 season. by doing so, they seemed to have developed a machine that is capable of consistent podiums and maybe even a race win.
During the winter break, Aston Martin decided to hire engineers and a few staff members from Red Bull Racing. This also could have provided some insight when it came to the 2023 car.
People have noticed a lot of similarities between the Red Bull car and the Aston Martin car, especially the sidepods. Yes, the cars do look similar. But it is not as simple as that. Each car is unique in its way. Even if they have the same sidepod design as Red Bull, it will have to complement the other parts of the car including the engine. The same design cannot work on every car.
Can Aston Martin challenge Red Bull?
Red Bull racing has proven to be dominant in the opening races of the season. But we are yet to find out if reliability is going to be an issue for the team. Although Red bull has designed a monster of a car, they might not be able to add as much performance to the current car compared to Aston Martin.
The British constructor is now in a unique position where they have caught up with the front runners, and at the same time, have more wind tunnel time compared to their competition, thanks to them finishing P7 in the WCC in 2022. This additional Wind Tunnel time could help Aston Martin bring in more and better upgrades as the season continues. This will also help in the development of the 2024 car.
Aston Martin should target to challenge Red Bull and every other team for the championship in 2024. But to do so, they must carefully and efficiently spend their time in the Wind Tunnel.