After the last Formula 1 race of the year, at the Abu Dhabi circuit next weekend, the 2023 tests will start on that same stage. That will be the first time you see Fernando Alonso behind the wheel of the Aston Martin. The expectation, of course, will be tremendous.
Much has been said in recent weeks about what they can aspire to. Alonso has done it and so has the team. And words as risky as “win” already for next year. That is the “objective”, said the Asturian pilot in the preview of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Mike Krack, head of the team, has spoken about the aspirations for the next season: “We need to improve year after year and we want to reach the top, obviously. It’s easy to say, easy to plan, and it takes a lot of hard work.”
“I’ve already said it: the reward of good results and getting better and better is great motivation. So what we need to do is improve all the time, every year, make the car better all the time. So at a certain point Let’s hope, we will reap all the fruits of our work,” he commented in statements to the Aston Martin website.
It values the “I work as a team”: “This team, the Silverstone team, is what we’ve always seen from the outside, and I’ve always thought: ‘It’s really a great team, with great spirit.’”
“If you see the great building from the outside, all their work, it gives you additional motivation because I think that this team, for many years, did things beyond their possibilities and now you give them these possibilities and I think that with the excellent people we have there is no reason to think that we should not do well in the coming years”, he completed.
Disagree with McCullogh
Tom McCulloghAston Martin’s director of performance, said that “winning” in 2023 was something that “wasn’t going to happen.” “Fighting for the World Championship next year…let’s be real, that’s not going to happen,” he said, lowering expectations for the team.
He did highlight the growth, but he kept his feet on the ground: “If we can fight the top three teams next year, I’m sure we’ll be happy with that. And then from there, just continue the journey that we’re on to try and catch up with the guys at the top, who are doing the best job at the moment.”