Aston Martin has faced a tougher ride this season on permanent circuits, especially through long, demanding corners and at high speeds. After Fernando Alonso managed to limit the damage with an eighth-place finish at Suzuka, team leaders in Britain warned that Qatar would also test the team’s resilience.
Alonso’s defense has taken a hit in the World Championship standings, pushing the former World Champion into a position where Checo Pérez’s remarkable second place in the opening half of the season stands out. Early on, Aston Martin appeared as a viable challenger to Red Bull’s dominance, but the AMR23’s pace has slipped. The team now sits fourth in the constructors’ standings, trailing McLaren by 49 points, with the pressure of potential “sorpasso” looming as the calendar advances toward the final races.
[Season calendar for Formula 1]
Aston Martin’s performance director Tom McCullough remains confident that the team can bounce back from the disappointment in Japan, while staying pragmatic about Qatar. He notes that a car that excels in fast corners tends to perform well in Qatar as well. With a focus on ongoing parts development, McCullough emphasizes that updates will not only address this weekend but also serve as valuable learning for the 2024 car. He describes these changes as opportunities to understand the car better and push performance forward, even if the gains are incremental.
Formula 1 Qatar GP schedule in Lusail
Drafting
It appeared that some teams may have accepted an unfavorable stance early in the season, falling behind the pace. Yet the narrative shifted: others, notably McLaren and Mercedes, surged forward. Aston Martin found themselves unexpectedly the second fastest team at times, though the gaps between the second, third, and fourth teams remained tight, underscoring how small margins decide the balance of power. McCullough acknowledges this dynamic and keeps a steady eye on the bigger picture.
Silverstone’s team principal, Mike Krack, has spoken about the need to raise competitiveness and improve the performance of both Lance and Fernando if the season’s morale is to stay intact. In Japan, a rear wing issue forced Lance Stroll to park the car, but Fernando still managed to add four points to the tally. Krack has been candid: the current level of performance is not acceptable, and the team must press on with discipline, focus, and determination. He insists that the fight must continue, even when the results aren’t perfect.
[Season standings in Formula 1]
Krack stresses that continuous evolution has been the team’s core philosophy throughout the year. Despite challenges, there are still updates in development that will feature in the car across Abu Dhabi and into the next year’s regulations. The message is clear: there will be no let-up in efforts to finish the season strongly and to keep pushing for progress as the sport moves forward.
While Krack’s assessment remains mostly positive regarding the season’s arc, the upcoming two races in Qatar present a different test. He believes the Lusail circuit, with its mix of medium and high-speed sections, shares several characteristics with Suzuka. That similarity could provide an opportunity for Aston Martin to translate past learnings into a competitive edge this weekend. Krack adds that lessons from Singapore and Japan will inform their approach, and the team will need to keep working hard to alter the season’s trajectory, lap by lap, corner by corner.