Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll look back with a positive feeling on their first meters in the AMR23. The Aston Martin team sent the new car, just like Mercedes, to the Silverstone circuit on Wednesday. A day of filming was completed under cool conditions, so a maximum of one hundred kilometers could be covered. Both drivers got a good impression of their new battle weapon.
Alonso was already eager to get behind the wheel of his new car during the presentation of the AMR23 on Monday, but he had to wait until Wednesday before he could actually make his first meters. Afterwards, the Spaniard was very positive. ‘This was a good day. I enjoyed my first taste of the AMR23,” he told Motorsport.com. It feels good to feel the speed of a Formula 1 car again. It had been a while. We were able to tick off a lot of things on this film day.’
The experienced Spaniard therefore had an excellent first introduction to his new car, but he also knows better than anyone that little value can be attached to it. Alonso will have the opportunity to gather more information about the AMR23 during the winter test in Bahrain next week. “There we get to know the car better and then we will find out where the competition is after the winter. I have a day and a half to get up to speed. It is therefore important to maximize the time we have in the car.’
Stroll speaks of a ‘strong start’ after filming day
Teammate Stroll was also a satisfied person afterwards. The Canadian had a trouble-free day in the AMR23 and can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Aston Martin again. “It felt very special to send the AMR23 onto the track for the first time. The car feels good. Everything worked as expected. It went smoothly and that is the most important thing in the run-up to the test. We know there is still plenty to learn, but the start was strong. After a long winter, it’s great to be able to pull out all the stops with a new car,” said Stroll.
