With big ambitions shining in his eyes, Lawrence Stroll, the owner of the Aston Martin team, entered the 2023 season following the departure of their star driver Sebastian Vettel the previous year. However, the team received a significant boost when another champion driver, Fernando Alonso, joined their ranks. As the season progressed, Stroll must have been thrilled to see how the team, initially considered an underdog, was performing exceptionally well. The striking gree outfit experienced a surge in success, with Fernando Alonso emerging as their hero, claiming six out of eight podium finishes.
Nevertheless, as is often the case, a string of setbacks followed moments of joy for Aston Martin. The team’s performance began to decline, leaving the entire squad disheartened. In particular, team boss Mike Krack, despite being aware that the Silverstone-based team was still unlikely to drop below fifth place in the championship standings, found this year to be more demoralizing than the previous one.
Before the season began, both Toto Wolff and Christian Horner identified Aston Martin as a potential surprise team for the year. The team had put in immense effort over the winter to transform the AMR23 into a high-performing machine. However, having a powerful car alone wasn’t enough; they needed a skilled pilot. Who was better than Fernando Alonso? Alonso’s driving skills led to several podium finishes, bringing moments of joy to the team, until the Canadian GP.
Unfortunately, the latter stages of the season brought more agony than success for Aston Martin. While the other top teams were closing the gap with Red Bull, Aston Martin struggled to see the desired results from their upgrades. As of now the team’s initial season dominance has faded, leading to some restless nights for team boss Mike Krack.
Mike Krack reveals the reason behind the demotivating 2023
Aston Martin’s performance has taken a different turn compared to last year. In season 2022, they began with a stumble but gradually climbed the rankings, ultimately finishing at P7 in the constructor’s table by the end of the campaign. However, this year, despite an electrifying start, the team has struggled to maintain its efficiency. And this is the exact reason why the team boss isn’t feeling motivated.
As per a tweet by Junaid#JB17, Krack was found quoting, ” I think it was probably the others who closed the gap [from Red Bull], more than our gap getting bigger. Now, this [Suzuka] is a track that has very particular results, so, once again, you don’t just have to look at a single race, but over a couple of races.”
While adding further Krack was seen optimistic as he said, ” We definitely would have liked to get more performance from our upgrades, but we still have something to bring, so we are confident we can close the gap a bit.”
Following the end of Aston Martin’s podium streak, McLaren experienced a significant upturn in performance, thanks to their upgrades and the combined efforts of their drivers. The introduction of upgrades at the Austrian GP proved to be a fortunate move for McLaren. The Papaya squad, which had faced finishes as low as P17 and P20 in some races, is now delivering top-notch performances.
Will McLaren soon surpass Aston Martin and seize the fourth spot in the standings?
During the month of July, when F1’s calendar was filled with a series of races, McLaren was experiencing a revival phase. The papaya unit, after upgrading Norris’ MCL 60 at Austrian GP implemented it on Oscar Piastri’s vehicle. The team now has a 49-point deficit with Aston Martin, and stands at P5, because of its incredible efforts.
Comparatively, Aston Martin’s garage had only Fernando Alonso as the sole individual promising a podium. After his return, the ex-Alpine driver demonstrated his talent by closely pursuing Red Bull in the early phases. However, the performance of Lance Stroll, which had failed to impress both the team and critics, remained a cause for concern for the Silverstone-based team.
Despite the positive team dynamics at Aston Martin, they may struggle to outperform McLaren in the last few races of the season. Given the dip in form for Aston Martin has created opportunities for Woking-based to catch up.
