Aston Martin beats all other F1 teams to set crucial car launch date

Aston Martin have become the first team to announce their 2023 car launch date, set for February 13 at 7 PM UK time. The Silverstone team will be unveiling their car 10 days ahead of the first preseason test, which is scheduled from February 23 to 25 in Bahrain.

Announcing the launch date of their 2023 challenger, the team press release said:

“The live event will be held at our all-new Silverstone campus – in front of a select audience – and will also be broadcast across all our digital channels.”

The launch event will be streamed across the team's digital and social media platforms on February 13.

Aston Martin will also feature double world champion Fernando Alonso in their lineup for the 2023 season. He will replace the outgoing world champion, Sebastian Vettel. The Spaniard completed a tyre test with the Silverstone team for the 2023 tyres in Abu Dhabi following the season's finale.

Newly appointed technical director Dan Fallows will add his touch to their new challenger. The former Red Bull aero chief had quit the Milton Keynes squad after the 2021 season. He commenced work with the Silverstone team after his gardening leave was over amidst the 2022 season.

Speaking to on-site media, including Sportskeeda in Abu Dhabi, Fallows said:

“What I have seen as a hugely passionate, very talented group of people, some of whom have been here for a very long time, and have a huge amount of experience. The main thing for us is to make sure we draw on that experience and passion and don’t destroy that at the same time as trying to grow and turn us into a winning team.”

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Aston Martin will not be replicating their rival car designs

Over the years, the Silverstone squad has been known to replicate their rivals' car designs whether it be a Mercedes or a Red Bull. Before being badged as Aston Martin, the team produced a car nicknamed the ‘pink Mercedes’ when it was called Racing Point. They also produced a ‘black Mercedes’ under the Force India badge.

In 2022 their car evolved to be a slower replica of the Red Bull car and earned the nickname of a “green bull”. However, Fallows, their technical director, is now keen to eliminate the replication of their rival cars.

Speaking to on-site media in Abu Dhabi, the Aston Martin technical director said:

“The important thing for us is to make sure that we don’t just replicate what our competitors are doing. We don’t believe that’s going to help us overtake the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull and Ferrari."

He added:

"So we have to develop our own way of doing things and that does take time. But we’ve got a hugely ambitious group of people and one of the things about seeing the new factory come together is it demonstrates this momentum, this wish to accelerate the process of moving up the grid and starting to get into a winning situation.”

With the new regulations in effect in 2022, Aston Martin poached several technical and aerodynamic personnel from across the grid to build a better car. While their 2022 challenger was underwhelming and strung with performance issues, their 2023 car is expected to be a better version.

Fallows is positive their team has a good pool of talent to produce a winning car and propel the midfield team to the front of the grid.