Aston Martin’s 2023 Formula 1 season began with a bang, with Fernando Alonso securing six podium finishes in the first eight races. The team found themselves in an impressive third place in the Constructors’ Championship after the Canadian Grand Prix in June.
However, the tides have turned over the last 11 races. Aston Martin managed only one podium finish and now sit in fifth place in the standings, trailing behind Ferrari and McLaren.
The recent struggles have raised questions: Can Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin salvage their season?
Alonso had consistently qualified in the top 10 for the first 17 rounds, but in the last two races in the United States and Mexico, he failed to reach Q3. The blame for this downturn in performance was placed on development mistakes, which thwarted Aston Martin’s strong start.
Following his second consecutive retirement in Mexico, Alonso candidly admitted that the season is effectively over for Aston Martin. With Carlos Sainz of Ferrari now level on 183 points, Alonso is poised to fall behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc, and Mercedes driver George Russell before the season concludes.
In Alonso’s own words, “Honestly, we are not fighting for anything. We will learn, even if we have to start from the pit lane, and that is more useful than just spending the weekend with a poor setup. In the Constructors’ Championship, we are locked in the position we are. In the Drivers’ Championship, we will lose a couple of places.”
While it may seem incredible that they’re still ahead of Ferrari, George, or Lando, Alonso acknowledges that these positions are likely to slip away. He recognizes the competitors’ speed and cautiously adds, “And yet, let’s see what we can do.”
As the teams start focusing on the next season, Alonso emphasizes that Aston Martin is tirelessly working to regain their momentum. He remains hopeful that the lessons learned from their difficulties in the latter part of 2023 will be more valuable than their early-season success.
“We are working as much as we can,” he said. “It’s not the position we wish we were [in], but at the same time, we are working very hard to reverse the situation. Sometimes you learn more from the difficulties than from the celebrations, so right now we have a difficult time. We are trying to do as many tests as possible, giving as much feedback as possible to the factory in Silverstone – and hopefully finish on a high and not on a low.”
Although podium finishes may be out of reach, Alonso clings to hope that Aston Martin can finish the season on a competitive note across the final three rounds in Brazil, Las Vegas, and Abu Dhabi.
In response to whether the team can salvage their situation before 2023 concludes, he optimistically concludes, “I think so. We still need to go to three different places, three different circuits, which will give us more data again on the car. It depends on what we call finishing on a high. If we think that we will fight for podiums or something like that, I don’t think so. But to finish in a competitive way, I think we still have the possibility.”
