Aston Martin has outlined their intentions to deliver an ambitious upgrade program for the AMR23 this year, starting with the first round of the 2023 campaign in Bahrain.
The Silverstone-based team looks to make significant strides this season after a relatively disappointing start to the new F1 regulations.
Whilst impressive progress was made in the second half of 2022, Aston Martin has taken risks over the winter break to close the gap to the front – producing a relatively aggressive design.
Technical Director Dan Fallows has described the AMR23 as almost “95% different” from last year’s machine, highlighting the resources invested in the 2023 package.
Challenging the top three teams is potentially outside Aston Martin’s reach for 2023, but all the ingredients for a successful season in the upper midfield appear to be in place.
The likes of Dan Fallows, Eric Blandin and other newly acquired personnel have been able to integrate themselves into the team over the last twelve months.
Aston Martin’s decision to change its concept early last year has allowed them to explore a concept which – in their eyes – has the most performance to extract.
With the start of the season just weeks away, Dan Fallows has explained the team wants to be uncompromising with its development:
“The design team was adamant that it wanted to tackle these regulations without compromise. We want to move up the grid and start challenging the teams at the front – and you can’t do that by sitting back and being conservative.
“AMR23 is a significant development of the car we refined in the latter half of 2022 – and we have improved it in every critical area.
“It optimizes the solutions we felt would offer us the most performance, and it embodies the joint vision we have embraced and built together over the recent months.
“Now we need to focus on delivering an ambitious yet efficient program of updates for the first race and across the remainder of the season.”
The ambition within the team is clear, and the first glimpse of the AMR23 machine is consistent with this drive for growth and innovation.
However, there is no guarantee that the reportedly impressive simulator data coming out from Silverstone will translate into results, so there is still plenty of work that lies ahead.
Pre-season testing is also relatively short this year, so the British squad must maximize the time available to better understand their significantly new design for 2023.
Another important factor is Fernando Alonso – who joins the Aston Martin project with realistic expectations, although his ambition to lead the team and fight at the front remains unchanged.
Alonso seems convinced that Aston Martin has the potential to produce race-winning cars. The question is how quickly the team can make the necessary improvements.
The Double World Champion has given his thoughts on the AMR23:
“I have always said that I could see the ambition that shines bright at AMF1. And, as we launch the car in this brand-new factory, I think everyone can now see the scale of ambition and determination at the heart of this organisation.
“Just as important is the car – and the AMR23 looks incredibly neatly packaged and highly efficient. I was pleasantly surprised when I sampled last year’s car for the very first time, and I think there is plenty of performance we can unlock together.
“I can’t wait to get started.”
