Aston Martin established itself in the 2023 season as a new contender to obtain podiums and even fight for victories, something that has not happened for a long time.
Since hybrid engines were introduced to the category in 2014, there has always been a fight between three teams to win the vast majority of the races. The protagonists of this fight are Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, with the German manufacturer the winningest squad over the last nine years.
Currently, there is an hegemony taking place on the part of the energy drink team, while another team has taken a big step forward and seeks to get into the fight between these three. We are talking about Aston Martin.
The Silverstone-based team finished in fifth position in the constructors’ championship with a total of 280 points and just 22 points behind McLaren, who finished in P4. Of those 280 points, Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, earned 74 points and finished in P10, while his teammate and two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso, earned the remaining 206 points to bag 4th in the Drivers’ Championship.
Photo Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team
The 2023 season of the Asturian driver was, without a doubt, memorable and demonstrated why he deserves to be on the Formula 1 starting grid. At 42 years of age, Alonso achieved a total of 8 podiums during the year, in addition that he finished in P2 at the Canadian, Monaco and Dutch Grand Prix, demonstrating the speed of the AMR23 and his talent behind the wheel.
With these numbers, Mike Krack, who serves as Aston Martin’s team principal, has expressed his happiness with the Spanish driver.
“As a team, we were blown away from the first day. To be honest with you, I always thought the first few months were a bit of a honeymoon, but I’m quite happy we have managed to extend that honeymoon,” Mike Krack affirmed.
“We received a remarkable team player, constructive at all times, especially when it was difficult. When the car was competitive — or, more competitive — it’s obviously easier to be constructive but the true qualities came out.”
Despite this, not everything was great for the British team. During the second half of the season, McLaren became competitive again, so the fight against the team from Woking was intense, as McLaren emerged as the winners. Aston’s pace fell away, too.
The lowest moment Aston Martin fell to was during the Mexican Grand Prix, where they had no pace and never looked like scoring points before their double DNF.
“For both drivers, it would have been easy to take the microphones and slam the team [after retiring from the Mexican GP], and it would probably have been deserved,” Krack stated. “But the true qualities of the team-playing character of both drivers came out at that time.
“For me, that is one of the highlights of the season, that as a team, we managed to stick together in that time.”
The Spanish driver’s contract with Aston Martin will end in 2024, however, Mike Krack has confirmed that they want to renew it: “Absolutely yes!”
In addition, he confirmed that they are not worried about the age of the Asturian driver.
