Delusion. That is the word that is heard the most when talk about Aston Martin. When talking about a project that has led to Fernando Alonso to wear green That the Asturian is excited. Which makes the two-time world champion unable to stop smiling. After what was seen in Bahrain, in the tests in Sakhir, that ‘illusion’ it may have become ‘reality’.
In a ‘what if this time yes?’. In a ‘can’t be’ anymore, but yes, yes it is. Because after of failed projects like McLaren-Honda and the Alpine of the hundred races to be able to win, Alonso may have hit the nail on the head. And Aston Martin seems to have done an enormous job on its way. to win a Formula 1 World Championship.
Yes, this year it will be no. Red Bull is immensely strong. He’s unstoppable. Unbeatable. But, as Antonio Lobato said in networks, “the choice of enemies has changed.” And it has done so after some tests in which perhaps many have hidden things, but they have not been able to hide so much.
Alonso, the driver with the most laps in the tests
Who knows if Aston Martin has also done the same. Who knows if he has thrown everything or not. The only certainty are the numbers. It’s the data. And the data supports, and a lot, the union of Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso.
We’re going to go with what the teams like. Information. The number of turns. In that, the number 1 driver of the three days of test is Fernando. Alonso has driven the Aston Martin AMR23 a total of 270 spins in Bahrain.
It will be that there is reliability. It will be that This engine does not break easily. That everything is measured to perfection. That the car holds. That with it you can shoot and you can roll, roll and roll again until you reach the checkered flag.
But does the car run?
But is it fast? Also. Based on the data collected during the first day of testing, Aston Martin was the team that more top speed has gained with respect to 2022. A total of 11 kilometers per hour plus has the car of this course with respect to the previous one. That, on long straight tracks, is a very positive point.
And also in short order. Alonso, in the first two days of rehearsals, was second fastest on asphalt of Sakhir if we take into account the use of the same compounds in the tires. Who was the best? Max Verstappen.
The good news in this regard is that, according to the information from Antonio Lobato, Aston Martin did not unload Alonso’s car to search for that record. And Fernando himself did not either. He didn’t suggest it. Time just came by itself.
The long run invites you to dream
But let’s go to what has awakened hope. To the long run To the simulation of the race that Alonso carried out on Saturday afternoon and that was, simply, bestial. What about tire degradation? not for Fernando. The Asturian took out the hammer on Sakhir and…
And it put Aston Martin as a clear candidate for the podium in the first Grand Prix of the season. let’s fuck a tweet from ‘El Rey Guiri’, in which he exposes the times of Alonso, so that the matter can be seen with an image.
With the C3, the soft tire for Sakhir, Alonso completed a total of 16 laps. Far from seeing his chronos grow, how he should go through the wear of tires as as happened for example to the Ferrari, alonso He started with a 1:39.077 and finished with a 1:38.131. In between, the hammer. Not once was his time in crossing the finish line higher than 1:39.077.
Second stint. C1, the hardest compound for Bahrain. Twenty laps. Started at 1:37.686; finished in 1:37.044. In the same second. Incredible.
C2 turn, the one that will be medium tire for the first race. He put it on on lap 38, and pitted again on lap 58. His first lap, 1:36,706; the last one, 1:36.512. Exactly, zero wear. It was compensated by the fact that the car was slowly running out of gasoline.
The fourth team… and who knows if something else
So, and seeing how Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes have to be seen, it seems that with respect to the rivals that became adversaries (Alpine and McLaren), Aston Martin, and that don’t be afraid to say it is ahead right now.
The progress is remarkable Alonso is already better than the best qualifying Aston Martin, and much better (more than two seconds), than what Vettel achieved in the 2022 tests.
Bahrain will pass sentence
Now it’s time for the classification and the race to see everything in a more real context. But the long run does not lie. Maybe the short run will do it, for reasons of gasoline and others… but the return to lap is what it is. And Alonso has shown it: yes, This Aston Martin is great Formula 1 car.
