| Aston Martin AMR23 | |
| Category: | Formula One |
| Predecessor: | Aston Martin AMR22 |
| Successor: | Aston Martin AMR24 |
| Designer: |
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| Team: | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team |
| Chassis: | AMR23 |
| Tyres: | |
| Fuel: | Petronas |
| Lubricants: | Aramco |
| Fastest Laps: | 1 |
| Poles: | 0 |
| Podiums: | 8 |
| Wins: | 0 |
| Races: | 22 |
| Caption: | Fernando Alonso driving an AMR23 during the Austrian Grand Prix. |
| Debut: | 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last Event: | 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
The Aston Martin AMR23 is a Formula One racing car designed and developed by the Aston Martin F1 team that competed in the 2023 Formula One World Championship. It is the third Formula One car entered by Aston Martin in the 21st century, and was driven by Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.[1] Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich temporarily replaced Stroll for all three days of the pre-season test in Bahrain,[2] after the latter had a cycling incident[3] that forced him to withdraw from the test.
On 16 December 2022, Aston Martin announced that they would launch the AMR23 on 13 February 2023 making them the first constructor to announce their launch date.[4] [5] [6]
The AMR23 immediately proved to be far more competitive than its predecessor, as the Aston Martin team were able to pick up 23 points from the opening round in Bahrain, with Fernando Alonso scoring the team's second ever podium finish in third place, and Lance Stroll finishing in sixth place, despite the two teammates colliding at turn four on the first lap. In the closing stages of the race, Alonso was running in sixth position, but he managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr. on-track, and combined with Charles Leclerc's retirement on lap 41, this allowed Alonso to secure third place. The following race at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix marked Aston Martin's first retirement with Lance Stroll retiring on lap 16 due to engine issues; however, Alonso, having served a penalty earlier on for lining up on the wrong grid position after the formation lap, remained competitive, placing third once again behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez and taking his 100th podium in his Formula One career - being the sixth driver in the sport's history to do so.
As the season continued, however, as cars introduced more upgrades, the team's performance had stagnated. While Alonso had scored a podium against tricky conditions at the Dutch Grand Prix, he found himself finishing outside of the podium, finishing the Singapore Grand Prix in a season-low fifteenth; he had run over debris after a lap-one incident and found the car "undrivable" as a result. Meanwhile, his teammate Stroll found himself being knocked out of Q1 more frequently during the latter half of the season, and in Singapore, withdrew due to a serious crash in qualifying. After the Japanese Grand Prix, the team had dropped to fourth in the Constructors' Championship behind Mercedes and Ferrari, and Alonso dropped down to fourth with Lewis Hamilton taking his position in the Drivers' Championship after Singapore. Despite a performance drop late-season, Alonso was able to claim a closely-contested third in Brazil, winning out against Pérez with his last lap overtake earning him the FIA Action Of The Year Award. By the end of the season the team finished fifth in the constructors' championship, 22 points behind McLaren. Alonso finished fourth place in the drivers' championship with 206 points and 8 podiums. This marked his highest championship finish since 2013. Stroll finished tenth in the drivers' championship with 74 points, his best ever season finish.