Aston Martin, which began the year as Red Bull’s closest competitor, has been gradually overtaken by Mercedes and Ferrari. The Silver Arrows now lead by 84 points in P2, with the third-placed Scuderia 64 points clear.
Meanwhile, McLaren has shown significant improvement, closing the gap with a double podium finish at Suzuka. This achievement puts them within 49 points of the total earned by Alonso and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin team.
Alonso's Reflections on Suzuka
Reflecting on his P8 finish at Suzuka, Alonso expressed optimism about the team's performance. He stated, “I think today we had a little bit more than the result shows. I think P6 and definitely P7 was possible. McLaren is a little bit too far ahead at the moment, [but] everyone is working flat out in the factory to bring some new parts before the end of the season, so let’s see what we can bring.”
Alonso, who gained four places on the opening lap but pitted before the cars around him and dropped back, added: “It was a good race. I think a mega start, up to P6, then we had good pace in the race. I think we didn’t optimise the strategy, maybe we stopped too soon at the beginning, too early – maybe that compromised a little bit the final result. But we were fast and the pace was a little bit better than expected, so I had fun in the car.”
Stroll's Setback
However, the race was not as enjoyable for team mate Lance Stroll. After being knocked out in Q1 and starting 17th, he was forced to retire due to a rear wing issue that left the component “falling off”. Stroll expressed his disappointment, stating, “My race was ended by a rear wing failure today. It’s disappointing because I had a good start, making up five places on the opening lap. I think a point or two would have been possible. That’s racing sometimes. We’ll investigate what happened and go again in a couple of weeks’ time in Qatar.”
Looking Ahead
As the 2023 Formula 1 season progresses, Aston Martin is pushing 'flat out' on developments. With the team's determination and the drivers' skill, fans can look forward to more exciting races and potential surprises in the remaining races. The team's performance at Suzuka has shown that they have the potential to compete with the top teams, and they will undoubtedly continue to strive for better results in the upcoming races.
