“I think it would be foolhardy for us to not worry about those behind us”- Aston Martin on the dangers from Ferrari, McLaren and Alpine.
Amidst Mercedes’ dominance and the incredible pursuit by Red Bull to pull the hegemon down has left Formula 1 to a two-horse race, while the rest, at least from 2020, are vying for the P3 on the table, to claim the title of the best of the rest.
Aston Martin is being viewed as the favourites to take this spot with their recent investments and the reported support they receive from their allies.
Last year, Aston Martin (then Racing Point) fought against McLaren till the last race of the season, but the latter captured that position. This year, the same spot’s competition is even more intense, as explained by Otmar Szafnauer.
“I think it would be foolhardy for us to not worry about those behind us and just look ahead of us,” said Szafnauer to the Motorspoty week. “I think we’ve got to do a good job.
“The midfield is ever increasing in competitiveness, and it’s getting much more difficult. I can’t see Ferrari staying sixth forever, so they’ll be really difficult to beat this year and beyond.
“McLaren beat us last year into third; they’ll be difficult. Renault [Alpine] have the might of a manufacturer behind them as well. They will not be easy with [Fernando] Alonso coming in, a two-time World Champion.
“So it will be very, very difficult for us to finish at the top of that midfield. It’s not going to be easy.”
Must reduce the gap against the front-runners
Going with the cliche mentality, Aston Martin has also decided to reduce the gap against the top 2- Mercedes and Red Bull. Ferrari and McLaren have also shared the same outlook.
“At the same time, we want to look at the guys that finished ahead of us and get closer to them, the Mercedes and Red Bull,” he said. “We want to get closer to them as well.
“So the task is great, but we are up for the challenge, and we will work hard and do the best we can to achieve that.”
