How Toto Wolff and Mercedes’ Weakness Slowed Down Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin

When the Aston Martin name made a return to F1 in 2021, owner Lawrence Stroll insisted that their ambition was to win the world championship, and nothing less would satisfy them. Now, after two years of misery, the Silverstone-based outfit seems like they’re finally on the right track. With Fernando Alonso getting two podium finishes in the first two races, there is optimism within the team.

Unfortunately for them, Red Bull has been far too dominant up until now. With two 1-2 finishes in the opening two rounds, it seems almost evident that the Austrian team will coast towards both championships wins for the second year in a row. Of course, things could change as the season progresses, but as things stand, Aston Martin is second best.

However, Aston Martin could choose to blame someone else for their gap to the Red Bulls this year, and that is Toto Wolff and Mercedes. According to Formu1a.uno, the Brackley-based outfit’s gearbox is the reason why Alonso and Aston Martin is slow.

Why Aston Martin couldn’t have copied Red Bull

When the 2023 season got underway, a lot of people joked about Aston Martin being a copy of the Red Bull car. Sergio Perez even joked about Alonso being a Red Bull driver after the Spaniard’s P3 finish.

However, Formu1a.uno points out that the rear of the Aston Martin was purchased from Mercedes. In fact, in terms of the rear wing strength, the AMR-23 is actually stronger than the RB-19. This eliminates suggestions that Stroll’s team has built its car around Red Bull.

On the other hand, the gearbox that Aston Martin purchased from Mercedes is slowing them down. The diffuser is designed with cars that have a compact body, like the W14 which has a concept called the ‘zeropods’. Aston Martin did not follow the sidepod concept that Mercedes adopted which means that their car generates more drag as a result of using more rear wing.

Can Fernando Alonso close the gap to Max Verstappen?

Alonso won his two world championships in 2005 and 2006 when he was driving for Renault. Since then, the Oviedo-born driver has made some questionable career choices which has led to him driving for teams that were stuck in the midfield for the most part.

When he announced he was leaving Alpine to join Aston Martin in 2023, many felt that he was going down the same path again. Fortunately for Alonso and his fans, at the age of 42, he is once again fighting at the front.

However, the gap they have to Red Bull is far too huge to cover at the moment. Alonso, however, insists that there are upgrades coming in that will significantly improve their pace, and they could challenge for wins in the coming races.