Aston Martin had a very strong start to the 2023 season and was the second-fastest team on the grid behind Red Bull. However, with their time, their progress slowed down and the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari caught up to them, which weakened their hold in the standings. However, the Silverstone-based team led by Lawrence Stroll is ready to go to the limit in terms of spending to improve their performance. According to Motorsport, they have a lot of money left over to spend, without going over the $135,000,000 budget cap.
Out of the two Aston Martin drivers, it is clear that Fernando Alonso is the undisputed number one. The Spaniard’s teammate Lance Stroll has failed to match him in all aspects and hasn’t even finished on the podium yet. Meanwhile, Alonso has finished in the top three on six different occasions, with two P2 finishes among them.
Top 5 in the race and valuable points for the team. It was a weekend with unpredictable weather and some ups and downs, but our car performed well in the race and we came away with a good result. See you next year, Spa! 👍 @astonmartinf1 #f1 #belgium pic.twitter.com/0IjLEcYGRb
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) July 30, 2023
However, Alonso’s last podium came at the Canadian GP. Since then, Aston Martin has seen a slump in performance, but they are desperate to get themselves out of it.
Aston Martin ready to spend big to get itself out of slump
Aston Martin’s team principal Mike Krack has repeatedly stated that they are not worried about the slump they are in. Krack knows where the problems are, and is sure they can come up with a solution that will help them bounce back in the coming few races.
The team’s performance director Tom McCullough, meanwhile, insists that they have a lot of money left over to spend. As a result, they aren’t in any kind of danger when it comes to spending past the $135,000,000 cost cap limit. McCullough revealed as per Motorsport, that the Silverstone-based outfit will continue to develop the car until the very end.
For Alonso, this will be music to his ears, because he has been seemingly frustrated as of late. He was looking to win his first F1 race since 2013 when the season started. However, limitations in their performance kept that dream on hold.
Where did Fernando Alonso and Co. go wrong?
Aston Martin introduced upgrades to their car at the 2023 Canadian GP. On that day, they worked very well, allowing them to compete towards the front of the grid. However, Krack admitted that it deceived them, because the upgrade package was suited to the layout of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve only.
First half of the 2023 season 📸. Magic . @AstonMartinF1 @F1 pic.twitter.com/9sKvGQTYf9
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) August 1, 2023
Consequently, Alonso and Aston Martin struggled in the next few races. In Austria, he finished P5. But that worsened in Silverstone and Hungary, when he finished P7 and P9 respectively. In Spa-Francorchamps the following weekend, the team showed some signs of improvement.
Alonso finished P5 on the last race before heading into the summer break. If McCullough’s words are true and Aston Martin do continue developing to the very end, Alonso could become a regular feature on the podium once again.
