Bahrain; Formula 1 is back and with the free practice at Friday if one thing has been made clear it is that Aston Martin is here to well and truly compete with the big boys of Formula 1 and will definitely target a top-of-the-finish at the midfield.
Chats around Paddock
Amid plenty of chatter in the paddock over Aston Martin’s potential this year, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner and Ferrari counterpart Frederic Vasseur admitted to being impressed by what they’ve seen so far.
Asked about Aston Martin’s early 2023 pace, Christian Horner Team Principal of Red Bull racing said: “Their car looks great. They had some really impressive race runs last week. Fernando looks… I don’t know what he’s taking, but he’s looking great on it – he looks on fire.
What more to expect?
I think they could be a real surprise this year. They’re really a bit of a dark horse. It just shows that it is possible to take a jump from the midfield to potentially further up.
“But, of course, we’ve only had a small snapshot, let’s see the long runs this afternoon, then qualifying, then the first sample in the race on Sunday.”
Vasseur added: “Clearly, I think they did a huge step forward compared to one year ago. If you have a look at Bahrain 2022. They were performing on the short stints and long stints, even a bit more impressive in the long run.
“This morning they did well, but now let’s see on Saturday and Sunday. We don’t… have a clear picture after FP1.”
Saturday and Sunday are crucial next for the team
With Saturday being the qualifying session it will be important for the team in green and they will look to qualify at least 3rd or 4th on the grid because with the speed it has generated so far it will be a constant threat to others.
Sunday the race day will really determine that whether the team have taken the right approach or not.
