"I've never seen such a jump": Mercedes boss left stunned at Aston Martin's meteoric rise

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has been stunned by Aston Martin's performance in the 2023 F1 season. The Silverstone-based team have made great strides towards the front runners, leaving the Silver Arrows behind.

Fernando Alonso has capitalized on his team's stellar progress, finishing third in Bahrain's season opener. The two-time world champion made light work of both Mercedes cars.

Aston Martin's progress so far has been amazing, a fact Wolff himself alludes to. Speaking to Sport24, the Mercedes boss said:

"They did a really good job: they brought in a Red Bull man, he managed to make the car suddenly two seconds faster. A year ago they were 17th and 19th in training. We knew Alonso was strong and motivated, but even Lance Stroll was up front with two broken hands and a broken toe. This proves how good the car is. I have never seen such a jump in Fomel 1."

A similar jump was last seen in 2009, when Brawn GP became world champions seemingly out of nowhere. It remains to be seen if Aston Martin can keep up their form going forward this season.

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Mercedes' gap to Red Bull has increased, claims Toto Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that the team's gap with Red Bull has doubled or even tripled from the previous season.

The start of the 2023 F1 season has been disappointing for Mercedes. Their car was the fourth fastest on the grid, trailing behind Red Bull, Ferrari, and Aston Martin.

Lewis Hamilton finished in fifth place and was unable to compete for a spot on the podium. The team's second driver, George Russell, fared even worse, finishing the race in seventh place.

Wolff had a gloomy outlook following the race, referring to it as the worst performance of his racing career. In response to questions from the media, including Sportskeeda, about the team's plan of action, Wolff said:

"That’s a good question and we will tackle it straight at the beginning of the week. When you look at where we were at the end of the season, where it seemed like we caught up a lot and it was just matter of which circuits suited us and which not. I think we’ve almost doubled, if not tripled [the deficit], to get to Red Bull. This is what we need to look at."

It remains to be seen whether the Silver Arrows will be able to return to the top of the grid anytime soon.