Fernando Alonso’s move to Aston Martin produced shockwaves in F1 news, but the Spaniard silenced any doubters with his 2023 results.
With the 2024 season fast approaching, there are new objectives at Team Silverstone. After a sensational start with the AMR23 in Bahrain, the realities of competing at the front of F1 became clear. Rivals accelerated their development, whilst Aston Martin committed a major blunder.
The Canadian GP was a key turning point, with a floor upgrade inadvertently pushing the team in the wrong direction. A car that produced consistent performance was pushed outside its operating window – making set-up a nightmare.
Jumping from the midfield to the front is difficult, but becoming an established top team is perhaps the greatest challenge. In this respect, Mike Krack’s team showed an admirable level of resilience.
A variety of corrections were introduced mid-season, albeit with varying success. By the season finale in Abu Dhabi, however, the AMR23 was again showing signs of life.
For next season, Aston Martin’s ability to learn will determine if F1 news outlets are covering their recovery or demise.
Fernando Alonso warns of the real test
After his first year with Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso explained the difficulties 2024 will present:
“The starting point is a little better than I thought, but now the real difficulty begins… Now, here comes the difficult period for Aston Martin,” MARCA quotes him as saying.
“I think in the next two or three years, finding that extra something no one has – being creative, innovative.
“I think that perhaps is the biggest question we must face.”
Alonso’s assessment seems reasonable, since next year will be a continuation of the development battle that was so costly for Aston in 2023.
The British outfit were the beneficiaries of Mercedes and Ferrari suffering difficult winter periods. It is unlikely these top teams – now joined by McLaren – will commit the same blunders when making their 2024 challengers.
Red Bull has admitted that unlocking more performance next year will be tricky. This is somewhat expected under a stable set of regulations.
However, their immediate chasers cannot afford to stagnate. Aston Martin is among them, as they look to capitalise on Fernando Alonso maintaining such impressive form at the age of 42.
Dan Fallows and his technical are unlikely to repeat their magical development across 2022-23, but this will not be the aim. Instead, taking a sizable – though not unattainable – step forward can cement Aston at the front.
