2023 Aston Martin | Aramco | Cognizant F1 Team

[KimiRai]

According to Spanish publication (again take it with a grain of salt):

"Fernando's engine had shown wear in the last few laps, so the podium had even more merit:

In the final stages of the test, one of the six cylinders of his Mercedes engine began to show signs of exhaustion. It was not a major failure, but it took power from the package.

With a change in the electronics that manages the ignition, and adjusting the power delivery of the Energy Recovery System, he was able to alleviate the situation without excessively affecting the general behavior of the car."

Also on Stroll's DNF:

"- It was not a fault, but a break.
- When his car reached the pits, his mechanics detected that the exhaust pipe was hanging off.
- The kinetic energy of the blow had been transmitted vertically, had damaged the floor and part of the accumulator of the energy recovery system. And the same for a string of sensors in that area.
- The reason for this blow was his fight with Sainz, Lance ran over a kerb and hit the belly of the car with excessive force.
- When the team noticed the breakage, they called him in to avoid further damage."

Link: https://theobjective.com/motor/2023-03- ... los-motor/

Also, another hint that the simulator-track overall correlation is going well on Aston Martin: Alonso did say that his Aston AMR23 was “a little bit closer” to Red Bull on race pace in Jeddah relative to Bahrain, exactly how the simulator had said according to Stroll's personal trainer two weeks earlier.

[AR3-GP]

So the most reliable PU of the hybrid era becomes unreliable now? you can't make this up haha.

[diffuser]

Team said last year that it’s a 5 year plan to build championship winning car. Looking at the performance jump that AM has made & Alonso’s form ; team should target 2024 as championship challenge year?
Team is going to new facility this year ; new wind-tunnel will be available next year.AM has all tools & confidence to mount challenge on Red bull in 2024.Ferrari is trembling/Merc is not at usual best so this is a perfect time to strike.

[media]

FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 - FASTEST LAPS
POS	NO	DRIVER	        CAR	                        LAP	TIME OF DAY	TIME	        AVG SPEED
1	1	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	50	21:25:10	1:31.906	241.838
2	11	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	38	21:06:31	1:32.188	241.098
3	14	Fernando Alonso	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	50	21:25:26	1:32.240	240.962

[/media]


Why can't they challenge this year ?

[Alonsismo]

if the imola upgrades work, we should try to win this WDC

with alonso, it is posible, we only need a litle bit of internal war in RB and Fernando will do it.

this is the best car he has driven since at least 2010

I think it's a big big ask. The problem is RB also has upgrades. If RB stand still, it would be a tall order for AMR to even catch them by end of the year. If RB do any upgrades, the target moves. AMR basically have to have out upgrade RB at 9 tenths to 1 second, in the span of the next 3 months. I can't see this happening. Remember that teams basically run out of budget for '23 car and move to next year by August. That is only 4 months away.

i dont think that de race difference is 1sec
i think that it is in the order of 0.4-0.7s/lap

[zoroastar]

it would be nice if redbull ever had upgrades that dont work, but they rarely do. and they will do anything they can (including shady dealings) to make sure they dont let this one slip away, i suspect. lets hope that Aston gains a second before august haha

[NAPI10]

Imola upgrade is going to be critical in that regard.
I am hoping that is the case but there are no internal news/gossip/leaks yet suggesting AM will take another step with that upgrade.

[RedNEO]

if the imola upgrades work, we should try to win this WDC

with alonso, it is posible, we only need a litle bit of internal war in RB and Fernando will do it.

this is the best car he has driven since at least 2010

I think it's a big big ask. The problem is RB also has upgrades. If RB stand still, it would be a tall order for AMR to even catch them by end of the year. If RB do any upgrades, the target moves. AMR basically have to have out upgrade RB at 9 tenths to 1 second, in the span of the next 3 months. I can't see this happening. Remember that teams basically run out of budget for '23 car and move to next year by August. That is only 4 months away.

Agree.
Catching Redbull this year is going to be a tall order…almost impossible. Unless of reliability issues or internal conflict; they are un-touchable.
Having said that, Imola package is going to be significantly important. If AM takes a next step to close the gap with Red bull; it’s a great confidence booster for 2024.
Andrew Newey was on track & keenly observing/studding AMR23 before race start…. that’s an ominous sign.

Brundle is that you? Haha on a serious note we just have to take it race by race. We can’t say either way but no targets just get the best result’s possible especially with so much uncertainty on many things that have yet to come to pass

[RedNEO]

Alonso issues update on Aston Martin pace: It's good news!

Fernando Alonso has hailed the 'good news' of Aston Martin's pace during Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, in which the Spaniard finished third for the second race in succession.

Starting from second on the grid, Alonso led the first two laps and finished the race five seconds ahead of fourth-placed George Russell. However, a mid-race Safety Car period had bunched the pack up, and Alonso said Aston Martin's true advantage over Mercedes and Ferrari at Jeddah was much larger.

"For me, the most important thing was to feel the car so strong, because we were the second fastest [car]," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.com.

"We were well ahead of Ferrari, we were controlling the Mercedes. I opened seven or eight seconds to George [Russell] in the first stint, and five at the end that could have been ten.

"We could open 15 or 20 seconds with Mercedes and more than half a minute with Ferrari, [which] was unthinkable on Thursday when we came here.

"It's true that in Bahrain, we were degrading the tyres less than the others, and we took advantage of that. But here we had more pace than the others. It was not a tyre thing, so this is very good news."

Aston Martin 'closer' to Red Bull, says Alonso

Though Alonso had the measure of Mercedes and Ferrari, he could do nothing about the dominant Red Bulls, who finished 1-2 for the second race in a row, despite Max Verstappen starting from 15th after a driveshaft failure in qualifying.

Acknowledging that Red Bull remain out of reach for Aston Martin, Alonso was nevertheless convinced that his team had managed to close the gap on the drinks-backed outfit.

"A little bit closer," said Alonso, when asked how Aston Martin had measured up to Red Bull in Saudi Arabia relative to the season opener in Bahrain.

"I think in Bahrain they were, if they had pushed, very far ahead, and here they were ahead, they were untouchable, for sure. But [Aston Martin are] a little bit closer, so that was good.

"The start was good. We led the race, so we have the first picture of Aston Martin leading the Formula 1 field for two laps, and hopefully not the last one."

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-issues ... -good-news

[RedNEO]

Team said last year that it’s a 5 year plan to build championship winning car. Looking at the performance jump that AM has made & Alonso’s form ; team should target 2024 as championship challenge year?
Team is going to new facility this year ; new wind-tunnel will be available next year.AM has all tools & confidence to mount challenge on Red bull in 2024.Ferrari is trembling/Merc is not at usual best so this is a perfect time to strike.

[media]

FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 - FASTEST LAPS
POS	NO	DRIVER	        CAR	                        LAP	TIME OF DAY	TIME	        AVG SPEED
1	1	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	50	21:25:10	1:31.906	241.838
2	11	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	38	21:06:31	1:32.188	241.098
3	14	Fernando Alonso	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	50	21:25:26	1:32.240	240.962

[/media]


Why can't they challenge this year ?

I noticed nearly all of the F1 media circus gloss over this golden nugget of info except Joylon Palmer who commented on it live.. this could be something significant for the rest of the season. The ease Alonso could keep up with Perez at the start when many cars struggled to follow in dirty air was also something interesting.

[organic]

Team said last year that it’s a 5 year plan to build championship winning car. Looking at the performance jump that AM has made & Alonso’s form ; team should target 2024 as championship challenge year?
Team is going to new facility this year ; new wind-tunnel will be available next year.AM has all tools & confidence to mount challenge on Red bull in 2024.Ferrari is trembling/Merc is not at usual best so this is a perfect time to strike.

FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 - FASTEST LAPS
POS	NO	DRIVER	        CAR	                        LAP	TIME OF DAY	TIME	        AVG SPEED
1	1	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	50	21:25:10	1:31.906	241.838
2	11	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	38	21:06:31	1:32.188	241.098
3	14	Fernando Alonso	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	50	21:25:26	1:32.240	240.962

Why can't they challenge this year ?

Have to bear in mind that Perez set his best time (1.32.1) over 10 laps earlier and at that point neither of them were even 'going' for fastest lap. Both RBs were running low modes by the end of the race, as is reflected in their laptimes generally; Max only just pipped Perez despite 12 laps less fuel and recharging battery for 3-4 laps prior to his flyer

Russell also set a laptime similarly close-ish to the RBs - 1:32.433 in a similar situation to Fernando but that's conveniently omitted from the table above...

They probably will challenge RB at some tracks if their updates can deliver 5 tenths (more than RB's updates which they may dial back with their existing advantage so large), but it's good to take data in context

[KimiRai]

Imola upgrade is going to be critical in that regard.
I am hoping that is the case but there are no internal news/gossip/leaks yet suggesting AM will take another step with that upgrade.

This is just speculation on my part. But knowing that the simulator/tunnel to track correlation according to de la Rosa in the tests is going very well, and that the words of Stroll's trainer on the simulator were confirmed by Alonso recently that indeed the Aston was even better in Jeddah... if the correlation is truly going well then it's likely that the upgrades will work. I hope.

The ease Alonso could keep up with Perez at the start when many cars struggled to follow in dirty air was also something interesting.

It could be a car thing but this one I feel it's just Alonso. I've seen millions of his onboards and he's one of the best drivers in mitigating the effect of dirty air of the car ahead of him, by taking suboptimal racing lines to stay away from the wake. I believe Bottas struggled a bit more with that in the past at least.

[abhi1200]

[f1universe]

According to Spanish publication (again take it with a grain of salt):

"Fernando's engine had shown wear in the last few laps, so the podium had even more merit:

In the final stages of the test, one of the six cylinders of his Mercedes engine began to show signs of exhaustion. It was not a major failure, but it took power from the package.

With a change in the electronics that manages the ignition, and adjusting the power delivery of the Energy Recovery System, he was able to alleviate the situation without excessively affecting the general behavior of the car."

Also on Stroll's DNF:

"- It was not a fault, but a break.
- When his car reached the pits, his mechanics detected that the exhaust pipe was hanging off.
- The kinetic energy of the blow had been transmitted vertically, had damaged the floor and part of the accumulator of the energy recovery system. And the same for a string of sensors in that area.
- The reason for this blow was his fight with Sainz, Lance ran over a kerb and hit the belly of the car with excessive force.
- When the team noticed the breakage, they called him in to avoid further damage."

Link: https://theobjective.com/motor/2023-03- ... los-motor/

Also, another hint that the simulator-track overall correlation is going well on Aston Martin: Alonso did say that his Aston AMR23 was “a little bit closer” to Red Bull on race pace in Jeddah relative to Bahrain, exactly how the simulator had said according to Stroll's personal trainer two weeks earlier.

Not a good source, the guy is famous for selling smoke in Spain.

[Cassius]

Team said last year that it’s a 5 year plan to build championship winning car. Looking at the performance jump that AM has made & Alonso’s form ; team should target 2024 as championship challenge year?
Team is going to new facility this year ; new wind-tunnel will be available next year.AM has all tools & confidence to mount challenge on Red bull in 2024.Ferrari is trembling/Merc is not at usual best so this is a perfect time to strike.

FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 - FASTEST LAPS
POS	NO	DRIVER	        CAR	                        LAP	TIME OF DAY	TIME	        AVG SPEED
1	1	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	50	21:25:10	1:31.906	241.838
2	11	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	38	21:06:31	1:32.188	241.098
3	14	Fernando Alonso	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	50	21:25:26	1:32.240	240.962

Why can't they challenge this year ?

Have to bear in mind that Perez set his best time (1.32.1) over 10 laps earlier and at that point neither of them were even 'going' for fastest lap. Both RBs were running low modes by the end of the race, as is reflected in their laptimes generally; Max only just pipped Perez despite 12 laps less fuel and recharging battery for 3-4 laps prior to his flyer

Russell also set a laptime similarly close-ish to the RBs - 1:32.433 in a similar situation to Fernando but that's conveniently omitted from the table above...

They probably will challenge RB at some tracks if their updates can deliver 5 tenths (more than RB's updates which they may dial back with their existing advantage so large), but it's good to take data in context

Plus Max and Perez used more of their hards than Alonso who was just cruising in the middle part.
I think this is another few tenths. Hence I fully agree with the statement somehwere else on this forum AM is still missing ~0.5s in race pace. If their first upgrade delivers a bit more than RB's it could indeed be close on several circuits.

[diffuser]

Team said last year that it’s a 5 year plan to build championship winning car. Looking at the performance jump that AM has made & Alonso’s form ; team should target 2024 as championship challenge year?
Team is going to new facility this year ; new wind-tunnel will be available next year.AM has all tools & confidence to mount challenge on Red bull in 2024.Ferrari is trembling/Merc is not at usual best so this is a perfect time to strike.

FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 - FASTEST LAPS
POS	NO	DRIVER	        CAR	                        LAP	TIME OF DAY	TIME	        AVG SPEED
1	1	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	50	21:25:10	1:31.906	241.838
2	11	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	38	21:06:31	1:32.188	241.098
3	14	Fernando Alonso	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	50	21:25:26	1:32.240	240.962

Why can't they challenge this year ?

Have to bear in mind that Perez set his best time (1.32.1) over 10 laps earlier and at that point neither of them were even 'going' for fastest lap. Both RBs were running low modes by the end of the race, as is reflected in their laptimes generally; Max only just pipped Perez despite 12 laps less fuel and recharging battery for 3-4 laps prior to his flyer

Russell also set a laptime similarly close-ish to the RBs - 1:32.433 in a similar situation to Fernando but that's conveniently omitted from the table above...

They probably will challenge RB at some tracks if their updates can deliver 5 tenths (more than RB's updates which they may dial back with their existing advantage so large), but it's good to take data in context

Conveniently? What does Russell have to do with AMR being able to challenge this year? AMR in race trim isn't that far off from RBR. Maybe a couple of upgrades with 50% more wind tunnel time gets them there.