Formula 1 is going at breakneck speed, and not just because of the pace at which the cars roll. The grid for this 2023 season is the tightest in recent historyand in a few races the panorama has changed radically.
At the Canadian Grand Prix, held less than a month ago, Aston Martin introduced a large package of improvements that allowed him to stand up to Red Bull. Fernando Alonso fought for pole position and finished second after a great overtake on Lewis Hamilton.
Even though he had a problem with the fuel pump, the Spaniard finished the race just nine seconds behind of a Max Verstappen who, for the first time, saw his dominance threatened.
Canada, a zero for McLaren
That same weekend, McLaren left empty, finishing Oscar Piastri in eleventh position and Lando Norris in the thirteenth. The Woking team was in the throes of a major crisis after a deeply disappointing start to the season.
But Everything started to change in Austria. Aston Martin hoped to confirm the good feelings it had in Canada and put Red Bull back on the ropes at home. However, Fernando Alonso was not only unable to get on the podium, but also, for the first time in the season, he saw how McLaren gave the surprise and slipped between the Red Bull and him.
The good feelings of the papaya team were confirmed at Silverstone. There, Lando Norris stayed a couple of tenths off pole, signed once again by Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri accompanied him in third place on the grid. Meanwhile Fernando Alonso barely made it to Q3 and qualified ninth.
McLaren achievedby Lando Norris his first podium of the year, which would have been double if a safety car did not come out that relegated Piastri to fourth place. In Aston Martin hoped that it was a specific situationthe result of Spielberg and Silverstone not adapting to the strengths of the AMR23.
And at the Hungaroring…
In this context came the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. Fernando Alonso was optimistic when he arrived in Budapest and assured that they would fight again for the top positions, but he repeated the scenario.
The McLaren have been in front againclassifying Norris and Piastri in the third and fourth positionrespectively, and Aston Martin’s fears have been confirmed with the eighth position for Alonso and Lance Stroll’s fourteenth on the grid.
In addition, the Silverstone team a new rival has emerged: Alfa Romeo. The Italian-Swiss team has been, with the permission of Lewis Hamilton, the great protagonist of this Saturday. The Zhou’s fifth position and the Bottas’ seventh They confirm that they have taken a big step forward and that, especially on slow circuits, they can scare the leading teams.
Red Bull no longer has the ‘superpower’
Mercedes and Ferrari have also suffered ups and downss in this period. Those from Maranello, who seemed to be beginning to be competitive in Canada, have experienced a significant drop in performance in Hungary, while Mercedes has achieved its first pole position of the season. Formula 1 has changed for everyone, even for a Red Bull that no longer seems untouchable.
