Formula 1 Preseason Report #4 – Aston Martin

Two of the biggest questions this season: how will Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll get along, and how much stronger will their cars be in 2023?

While the start of the Formula One season is still roughly a month away, we’re already in preseason mode here at AutoRacingDigest.com.

Over the next four weeks leading up to the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix (March 3-5), our exceptional F1 expert, Gregg Fielding, will break down each of the 10 teams that will take part in the global chase for the championship.

Here’s the teams we’ve covered thus far:

* Williams Racing

* AlphaTauri

* Haas F1 Team

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It’s been 22 years since Fernando Alonso made his Formula 1 debut for Minardi at the Australian Grand Prix, the start of a career that would seem him move on to Renault, then McLaren, back to Renault, Ferrari, a second stint with McLaren, and then a third trip to Renault, rebranded as Alpine.

At 41 years of age, Alonso has to be hoping that Aston Martin will be the final stop in this crazy carousel of a career, although the challenge will be how the demanding driver reacts to the direction of the all-powerful team head honcho, Lawrence Stroll. Stroll for his part will still have as his primary focus the team’s other driver, his son Lance, now in his fifth year with the team.

A decade has passed since Alonso finished second in the standings for Ferrari (and 16 years since his second World Championship), leaving the Spanish driver desperate for a chance to be in a car that can match his considerable skills and give him an opportunity to challenge for the front of the field.

The elder Stroll can match Alonso in his drive to get to the top, but the team’s second consecutive seventh-place finish last year in what was Stroll’s first chance at a completely new car formula had to be a disappointment, even if it met the expectations of series observers.

In an emotional farewell campaign, the team’s previous legendary driver, Sebastian Vettel, had a decent if unspectacular season, finishing between sixth and 12th place in 14 of the 20 races he started (after missing the first two events with Covid-19), probably the most consistent performance in the field outside of Max Verstappen.

Unfortunately for the team, the failure of either driver to have any really big results left them with only 55 points, good enough to tie Alfa Romeo for sixth in the standings, but a light-year away from the top half of the field, having barely a third of the total points of fifth-place McLaren.

The younger Stroll may have led the series in complaints about other drivers, but on track was only able to get into the final segment of qualifying twice. And while he was more successful in his efforts during the actual races, the poor starting positions kept him near the bottom of the driver standings, despite the car being reliable enough to complete all but two races.

It seems unlikely that a driver with any other last name would remain employed following an 18-point total in his sixth season, but at only age 24 it’s not inconceivable that given the right equipment, the younger Stroll could have more success going forward.

To be fair to the young Canadian, Vettel was also unable to finish qualifying any higher than sixth (albeit doing so a remarkably consistent five times), indicating the main problem with the team was the pure speed of the AMR22 car, perhaps the first uniquely developed by the team in the Stroll era, following accusations of copying older Mercedes machines in 2020 and 2021.

After being given upgrades following the first five races, the team faced new accusations of “borrowing” elements from series leader Red Bull’s entry, but after an investigation by the FIA led to being given a clean bill of health, the lack of improvement in results led to the controversy quietly dying off.

While copying other teams’ car designs violates Formula 1’s rulebook, grabbing the people who created those designs is perfectly legal. Last year former Red Bull Head of Aerodynamics Dan Fallows was coaxed away to become Technical Director of Aston Martin, and this year he’ll be joined by former Mercedes Head of Aerodynamics Eric Blandin, who will carry the title of Deputy Technical Director.

Due to contractual terms, Fallows was only allowed to start working for the team in April last year (well after the initial design of the car) but having spent a year on the sidelines, Blandin was free of his commitment to his former team in time to join Fallows in this year’s AMR23 design.

As Blandin put it, “There will be no excuses” this year if the team cannot bring a major improvement in car performance. Aston Martin is also putting finishing touches on a state-of-the-art new factory for the team, and while the facility is not expected to be completely operational before next year, Blandin seems very optimistic about the recently completed car, and as it was created using the skills of engineers from the two top car building teams of the past decade, he has good reason to be.

With their personnel in place, the biggest question facing the team (beyond the car) is chemistry. Alonso is well known for having a lack of patience with what he perceives as failings in those around him, including a flare-up with last year’s teammate at Alpine, Esteban Ocon.

The dynamic between the two Strolls and Alonso could lead to fireworks if and when the younger driver makes a move on the track below the veteran’s standards, or complains too much in interviews.

The man in charge of on-track activities, team principal Mike Krack, is downplaying the concern, saying the teamwork at Aston Martin thus far has been outstanding.

No doubt getting a few early finishes that are at least in the front third of the field would go a long way to easing any potential tension.

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2022 Results:

* Team finish: seventh place in constructor standings, 37 points scored, tied with Alfa Romeo (Alfa Romeo awarded sixth due to highest single race result)

Driver Results:

* Sebastian Vettel: 12th Place in driver standings, 37 points scored, best finish – sixth (Azerbaijan)

* Lance Stroll: 15th Place in driver standings, 18 points scored, best finish – sixth (Singapore)

Predictions for 2023:

The team which began its existence as Jordan in 1991 – and which has gone through about as many name changes and owners as Fernando Alonso has gone through jobs – has now fully cemented its identity with the Aston Martin name and Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll’s ownership.

With their dynamic engineering duo in place and having nearly completely redesigned the car for 2023, it’s time for the Silverstone0-based outfit to make a big leap forward. This is an organization that has all the elements in place to get to the very top of the sport, provided that having the owner’s son as a driver does not prove to be too much of a stumbling block.

While they’re not ready to challenge the elite just yet, I see them being at the top of the midfield, bringing home a fourth in the final standings, and wouldn’t be surprised to see Fernando Alonso have his first race win in a decade.