McLaren and Aston Martin have had completely contrasting Formula 1 seasons in 2023. Aston Martin started extremely high, while McLaren struggled to put points on the board. However, both of their upgrades went in the opposite direction. McLaren found time with every upgrade they put on, while Aston Martin became slower and slower. This led to them converging at the Abu Dhabi GP. Once again, it was just Fernando Alonso against both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, and they won.
The Set-up
McLaren were flying high in Formula 1 since Austria. However, before the Abu Dhabi GP, they had two underwhelming races in Brazil and Las Vegas. Coincidentally, Aston Martin found form in these two races. Lance Stroll got two P5 finishes while Fernando Alonso scored a podium.
Therefore, the P4 position which looked done and dusted suddenly became alive again. McLaren came to the Abu Dhabi GP just 11 points ahead of Aston Martin. However, once again, it became the case of both McLaren drivers against Fernando Alonso.
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The Race
Both McLaren drivers had a good start at the Abu Dhabi GP. However, they struggled with tyre degradation throughout the race. To make matters worse, Lando Norris had a very slow pitstop.
George Russell, who had pitted just behind him, overtook him in the pits. This was crucial because these two drivers were very evenly matched at the Abu Dhabi GP, along with Charles Leclerc. Therefore, whoever got ahead, stayed ahead.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso had troubles of his own at the Abu Dhabi GP. His extremely draggy Aston Martin was extremely slow on the straights. Therefore, he couldn’t complete all his passes in one go and was at risk of being passed by others.
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The Result
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished P5 and P6 for McLaren. Fernando Alonso finished P7 after overtaking Yuki Tsunoda on the second-last lap. Lance Stroll managed to get a point as well, finishing 10th in the race.
Aston Martin would be ruining their fortunes as they looked so good earlier in the 2023 Formula 1 season. Meanwhile, McLaren will be hoping to take the challenge to Red Bull properly next season.
Editors pick
