Aston Martin F1 expected to make 2-second improvement in 2023
Aston Martin has quickly emerged as the main storyline from pre-season testing, setting impressive lap times and showing clear progression over the winter.
The Silverstone-based team underachieved massively last year, quickly changing its concept and philosophy after showing very limited pace at the start of the season.
With this year's 2023 campaign only a few days away, the AMR23 is dominating headlines after its first few hundred laps with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Drugovich behind the wheel.
Many questioned the Double World Champion's decision to sign a contract with the British squad last summer, but this unlikely partnership is now regarded as potentially very exciting by much of the paddock.
Aside from Alonso's low-fuel running across the three days of testing (which in itself shows a significant improvement since 2022), Aston Martin's performance in race simulations was especially strong.
Specifically, Fernando Alonso's race simulation on the final day of testing - where the Spaniard showed times that were competitive with the likes of Ferrari on high fuel.
Additionally, the AMR23's lap times improved throughout all three of Alonso's stints, indicating a car with potentially very good tyre management.
This is of particular importance ahead of the Bahrain GP, which will likely be a two-stop race due to the nature of the circuit and the stress it places on the tyres. It is also notable that Ferrari experienced some difficulty with tyre wear in testing.
All these developments are positive for Aston Martin, who have already outlined their ambitions to implement an aggressive development plan in 2023.
Some estimates suggest an improvement of 2 seconds per lap has been made over the winter break, an impressive feat regardless of the team's struggles last season.
However, despite the potential for Aston Martin to legitimately contend as the 'best of the rest' this season, the team remains cautious.
After all, it is always difficult to assess the F1 running order based on pre-season testing.
Both Mercedes and Ferrari seemed quite experimental with set-up and rear wing configuration during the tests, so a significant jump in performance can be expected from this alone.
Fuel loads and engine modes are also unknown during testing, which means the likes of Alpine could surprise the field in the Bahrain GP.
In any case, for all the potential surprises that await, there are reasons for Aston Martin to be optimistic about their chances of competing in the 2023 season.