Tire degradation remains a weakness compared to what Red Bull can do, while Leclerc’s DNF due to an engine issue is also a concern given the reliability issues of 2022. But the race quickly proved there is still plenty of work to be done at Maranello to properly take the fight to Red Bull this year. But as Alonso said post-race: “If we are strong in the next two races, I think we will have a very good 2023.” Ferrari and Mercedes have work to doįerrari’s mood on Sunday morning was upbeat, given how close Charles Leclerc had got to the front row in qualifying. Jeddah and Melbourne will be truer tests of Aston Martin’s pace, particularly compared to Ferrari and Mercedes. Alonso had the measure of the Ferrari and Mercedes cars through the race, suggesting Aston Martin has not only moved to the front of the midfield, as was its 2023 target, but is actually in the thick of the ‘big three’ teams many thought it would take years to break into. Excitement around Aston Martin through preseason testing, practice and qualifying in Bahrain turned out to be completely justified, as Fernando Alonso charged to a podium finish, with teammate Lance Stroll finishing P6.Īnd it doesn’t look like a one-off either. “It’s something you have to view over a 12-month period, because it’s not just this year’s car, it’s next year’s car,” Horner said, adding that it was critical for them “to cope with that penalty, to have a solid starting point and I think that is what the team have done.” Is F1’s big three now a big four? Right now, it appears that it hasn’t had an effect quite yet, though team boss Christian Horner did address it after the race. Throughout the offseason, people were curious about how much the team’s penalty for going over F1’s spending cap - specifically the 10% reduction in aerodynamic testing time over a 12-month stretch - would hurt the Milton Keynes-based crew. Red Bull was uncatchable in Bahrain as Verstappen put nearly a 40-second gap between himself and the closest non-Red Bull car (Fernando Alonso in P3). The cost cap penalty hasn’t hurt Red Bull - yet Follow live coverage of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.Here’s what we learned from Bahrain, and what we’re looking forward to over the next 22 races.
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