Fernando Alonso set for major BOOST in 2023 F1 campaign

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

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Alonso set for major BOOST in 2023 F1 campaign

Aston martin are looking for ways in which they can close the gap to Red Bull

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 2 September 2023 10:42 Updated: 20:25

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Aston Martin's performance director, Tom McCullough, has said that there are 'several more parts to come' that will help Fernando Alonso in his race at the front.

Alonso has looked rejuvenated in 2023, scoring seven podium finishes in the first 13 races of the season, and establishing himself as the main challenger to Red Bull's dominance.

He is currently sat in third in the world championship, and will be looking to take the fight to Red Bull in the remaining races and challenge for his first race win since 2013.

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However, Aston Martin's performance has tailed off in recent races, and they now look closer to the likes of McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari than they do to Red Bull.

A podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix may have been down to a mixture of masterful race craft from Alonso and chaotic conditions, rather than car performance.

Nevertheless, McCullough believes that the car is improving thanks to a new development path that the team are taking.

“This evolution is just part of a program that we have been developing," he told media at the Dutch GP.

"We will be introducing new parts. We are quite happy with how the new features have worked. We are going to continue evolving from here, it is a path of constant progress and there are several parts to come."

Alonso Monza magic

Alonso won five races in 2010, including victory at Monza

Alonso is a two-time winner at Monza in 2007 and in 2010. The F1 veteran is adored by the fans for his spell with the Ferrari team between 2010-2014, in which he was so unlucky not to win the team's first world championship since 2007.

Now 42-years-old, the two-time world champion is desperately trying to win another race whilst his car and driving skills allow it.

And McCullough says that, although the team are excited about how far this car might take them in 2023, they are starting to switch focus to 2024.

“We still have parts that will take weeks or months to get to the track," he added.

"Development as you get closer to winter slows down, but sometimes you find some things in the making of the 2024 car that you can carry over to this year's car and budget ceiling and margin that we have allow us to do it."