F1 2023 Report Card: Aston Martin reliant on Alonso performance
13th December 2023Aston Martin bolted out of the gates at the start of the 2023 season but the team’s inability to work on all cylinders was their downfall.
When the AMR23 popped out of its covers, the car was extremely competitive. It may have fallen short of Red Bull’s mark – like the rest of the field – but it was a cut above the rest, albeit briefly.
After the opening race, the car was dubbed the ‘Green Red Bull.’ This name came after the team ran a similar design to Red Bull, something Aston Martin isn’t a stranger to – a reference to the ‘Pink Mercedes’ when the team raced under the Racing Point brand.
Accompanied by a two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso, in place of Sebastian Vettel, the Spaniard showed he still had what it takes to compete at the sharp end of the field. In the first six races, Alonso visited the podium five times. Alonso visited the podium a further three times to finish the season with eight podiums.
The #14 Aston Martin could’ve secured an almighty pole position in Monaco had he not been beaten by Red Bull’s immaculate Max Verstappen.
After the summer break, their performance began to flounder. This was not exactly helped with Alonso taking most of the points while Lance Stroll strolled through the season.
By the end of the season, Alonso trumped his teammate in the standings. The Spaniard collected 206 points, joint fourth in the drivers table with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and the Canadian could only manage 76 points leaving him 10th in the driver’s standings.
Understandably, in the opening rounds Stroll had a justifiable reason if he unperformed following his broken wrist after a pre-season cycling accident. However, compared to Alonso, Stroll was not up to the same level on track and his professionalism was thrown into question – looking at that moment in Qatar.
Report: C+
Summary: It was a stunning start to the season but relying on one driver for the majority of their points was their biggest problem.
That’s all for the article; F1 2023 Report Card: Aston Martin reliant on Alonso performance!
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
