Aston Martin reveal AGGRESSIVE strategy to try and catch Red Bull

Alonso in aanloop naar race in Canada — Photo: © LAT Images

Aston Martin

Aston Martin reveal AGGRESSIVE strategy to try and catch Red Bull

Fernando Alonso could yet get that elusive 33rd Formula 1 victory

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 14 August 2023 21:57

Aston Martin have revealed that they still have the budget available to continue developing their 2023 car, raising the tantalising prospect of a 42-year-old Fernando Alonso challenging Max Verstappen for race wins after the summer break.

Aston Martin announced themselves as the main challengers to Red Bull's dominance at the start of the year with some strong performances, but have since dropped off as Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren have all improved.

That has led to some talk that maybe it's Mercedes that have the car capable of finishing second in this year's constructor's championship, and perhaps challenge Verstappen and Perez in a few races before the season's out.

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But while Mercedes and many other teams now switch focus to their 2024 car, Aston Martin believe that a historic race win could still be there for them in 2023, and are willing to throw resources at trying to achieve that.

Performance director Tom McCullough told Motorsport.com: "We've been targeting quite strong development throughout the year and we have the budget to keep developing the car.

"That's our aim, so we are bringing some steps all the way to the end of the championship really - as much as we can do."

Aston Martin secured 6 podiums at the start of the 2023 season, but have since dropped off

Verstappen vs Alonso?

Of course, all of this is likely to get F1 fans very excited about the second half of the season, as it raises the possibility of Aston Martin being closer to Red Bull in terms of performance than they have been all season.

That would suggest that there could be a straight fight between Alonso and Verstappen at some point this season, and the 42-year-old would likely provide some much-needed competition to Red Bull's dominance.

"At a certain point, you have to fully focus on 2024," McCullough said. "But we're in the phase now where we're able to work on both cars."