With a newly-signed Alonso at the wheel — as the Spaniard came in to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel — the AMR23 began its F1 campaign as a legitimate race winning contender. Epic drives from both Alonso and Stroll in Bahrain set the tone of what was to come in the early stages of the season, as Aston Martin secured six podium finishes in the first eight races.
But as the season progressed, development stalled, upgrades failed to have the desied effect, and a new lack of pace demoted the previously front-running marque into the depths of the midfield. Nevertheless, Alonso continued to highlight his talent with surprise podium visits in Zandvoort and Sao Paulo, but his performance raised serious questions about the ability of his team-mate.
Despite the increased performance of the car beneath him, Stroll failed to score a single podium finish in 2023 — his best result coming in Australia where he finished fourth — and was out-qualified by his team-mate in 19 out of the 22 rounds. The Canadian did show signs of progress toward the end of the season, with back-to-back fifth place finishes in Brazil and Las Vegas, but if Aston Martin wants to compete with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari, both drivers will need to be firing on all cylinders.
2024: Aiming high
A semi-competitive 2023 and the completion of a new F1 headquarters based at Silverstone signals Aston Martin’s hopes for the future — to become an F1 title challenger.
It’s been speculated by many that the team’s sudden underperformance last year was due to a heightened concentration on its 2024 car, in the hope that another high-flying start to the new campaign could put Alonso in title contention from the early stages.
The only question marks left surround Stroll — who will be hoping for a season of better consistency and performance — and the team itself as it will need to bring effective developments over the course of the year in order to beat the current F1 front-runners.
Aston Martin 2024 F1 driver line-up
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| Fernando Alonso | Lance Stroll |
- Fernando Alonso is contracted with Aston Martin for two years.
- Lance Stroll is contracted with the team ‘indefinitely’
- Felipe Drugovich will continue to act as reserve driver for 2024 season
Key personnel
Executive Chairman: Lawrence Stroll
Since leading a consortium of investors to bring Aston Martin back from a 63 year F1 hiatus, Lawrence Stroll has remained a key investor in the team’s future — now acting as executive chairman.
The new £200 million F1 headquarters is a notable example of the billionaire’s aspirations for the team, and its proximity to the Silverstone circuit as well as access to state-of-the-art design centres and wind tunnel should provide it with a significant on-track advantage.
Team Principal: Mike Krack
Born in Germany, Krack’s journey to the pinnacle of motorsport began early in his career when he started working in the DTM (German Touring Car Championship) and quickly made a name for himself with his technical knowledge and passion.
He then moved to Formula 1 as an engineer and quickly rose through the ranks to become a chief engineer for several teams. Krack’s hard work and dedication to the sport were eventually rewarded when he was appointed as the team principal of Aston Martin in 2021.
Under his leadership, the team made significant progress, and Krack was praised for his ability to bring the best out of the team. With his wealth of experience and strong technical background, Krack is poised to lead Aston Martin to new heights in the coming years.