Formula 1 is a sport of small margins. There isn’t a single detail that goes unrecognized. Most teams try to hide these details with the expectation of gaining a competitive edge. Aston Martin, meanwhile, arrived guns blazing with what looked like an evolution of a certain competitor hiding nothing. After the brilliant performance by the Astons at the Bahrain GP, Christian Horner walked right into Perez’s footsteps, indicating the reason behind the Silverstone-based team making huge gains.

The Aston Martins finished P3 and P6 at the 2023 Bahrain GP. The bond team arrived at the Bahrain testing with a car that resembled the RB18. But it was more along the lines of an evolution of RB18 with inspiration taken from all across the field. This was to be expected though, as Aston Martin had appointed former Red Bull Head of Aerodynamics Dan Fallows as their technical director. 

After seeing Fernando Alonso score Podium at the first race beating Mercedes and Ferrari, Sergio Perez was quick to comment on the resemblance that AMR23 had with RB18. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner soon followed the Mexican, remarking it was nice seeing three Red Bulls on the Podium. 

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Motorsport.com asked Christian Horner if he is regretting letting Dan Fallows leave, to which he replied “Everything has to evolve, nothing stands still. I think it is flattering to see the resemblance of that car to ours, so it was great to see the three of them on the podium.”

Horner’s and Checo’s comments don’t take away from the fact that the British team has done a marvelous job. The reason why Red Bull is making such comments is probably that they see Astons as challengers in the near future.

Can Aston Martin challenge the Red Bulls?

It sure looks like the Astons have taken inspiration from the RB18, but that is not a bad thing considering they were World Champions last year. Also, Fallows cannot unlearn what he witnessed at Red Bull, and since he saw potential in the concept, the Green team went ahead to develop it. With claims of the car being 95% new, there is still a lot to learn and extract from its untapped potential. 

Lawrence Stroll is a visionary and excels in every field he steps into. With the New factory coming online this year and a new wind tunnel onboarding next year, one can only imagine the Astons moving forward up the grid. It might not be this year, but yes, in the upcoming season, they will pose a serious threat to the three giants. 

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Do you think Aston Martin is the Fourth giant in the making?