How Aston Martin broke into F1’s lead pack

By:

Alex Kalinauckas

Apr 20, 2023, 3:13 PM

Three podiums in the first three races of the 2023 Formula 1 season demonstrates the extraordinary progress that Aston Martin has made. Financial muscle to fund an extensive recruitment drive, an aversion to technical arrogance and the impetus of a highly motivated double world champion have seen the green team join the frontrunners

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For most people fortunate enough to attend the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Australian Grand Prix, the two events appeared very similar. Dominant winners in the forms of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, their glory secured in front of packed grandstands and a party atmosphere banishing the hideous pandemic memories in Melbourne.

Although Leclerc and his Ferrari squad had little to celebrate this time around, their negative 12-month turnaround was nothing compared to the positive progress secured by Aston Martin in the opposite direction. Earlier this month, behind Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso secured a hat-trick of third-place finishes, with Lance Stroll eventually classified fourth in the other AMR23.

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Alex Kalinauckas

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Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.