Aston Martin share their ‘brave target’ for the remainder of the 2023 season

Aston Martin have set themselves the goal of overhauling Ferrari and Mercedes and returning to second position in the constructors’ standings by the end of the campaign.

A sizeable step forward over the winter led to Aston Martin emerging as Red Bull’s nearest challengers when the 2023 season got underway, with new signing Fernando Alonso scoring six podium finishes over the first eight races.

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However, a mid-season dip in form, alongside improvements from their rivals, saw Mercedes edge ahead for P2 in the constructors’ in Spain, with Ferrari also getting the jump after their particularly strong showing in Italy last time out.

With Europe left behind and the flyaway sequence of the year set to begin in Singapore this weekend, Aston Martin’s Performance Director, Tom McCullough, set out the Silverstone squad’s ambitions for the final eight rounds.

“The target is to try to get back to second in the constructors’ championship,” he commented. “That’s a brave target, against some fierce competition.

“Mercedes have had a couple of strong events. Ferrari had their strongest event of the year at Monza, their home race; we’re hoping to be more competitive as we return to some of the higher-downforce tracks going forward.

“Margins are fine at this stage of the season and now it comes down to who can bring a few more developments to the track and who can execute the best weekends – operationally, and from the drivers’ side as well.”

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Speaking of developments, McCullough made clear that there will be no let up from Aston Martin from now until the final chequered flag of the season in Abu Dhabi.

“We’ve been on the same development path for 18 months,” he said. “Those philosophies haven’t really changed; we’re still bringing parts to the track between now and the end of the year.

“A lot of parts have been released a while back and by the time we get to the track, more come along. Even though the European leg of the season has finished, we’re still bringing parts to the car.

“It’s not as easy to bring those parts to the track for flyaway races and we have to account for delivery time, but we will have late freight that arrives to the track all the way until Friday morning – sometimes spares of updated parts arrive even later than that.

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“It can be a real logistical challenge and some countries are harder to deliver to than others – but it’s all well planned for.”

As things stand, Aston Martin sit 11 points behind third-placed Ferrari, and a further 45 points adrift of second-placed Mercedes, having most recently finished on the podium via Alonso’s run to second in the Netherlands.