12/06/2023
NEWS STORY
Alfa Romeo team representative, Alessandro Alunni Bravi believes that Aston Martin's resurgence is an example to all F1 teams.
Though now finding itself under increasing pressure from Mercedes, there is no doubt that the main success story of 2023 thus far has been the resurgence of Aston Martin.
When Sebastian Vettel exited stage left last year and the Silverstone outfit subsequently announced Fernando Alonso as his 'replacement', how many truly believed that the Spaniard would go on to score podiums in five of his opening six races for the team.
Indeed, had Lance Stroll's season got off to a smoother start the team might not have dropped behind Mercedes in the team standings.
Other than Alonso of course, much of the credit has to go to Lawrence Stroll, whose vision - and money - is setting the team up to be a serious challenger in the years ahead.
While Red Bull rapidly disappears into the distance, Aston Martin is still mixing it with Mercedes and Ferrari, and at Alfa Romeo, Alunni Bravi believes that others should learn from the Silverstone outfit.
"Aston Martin is an example for everyone, not just for us," he tells Spain's Mundo Deportivo. "They have made very significant investments in the entire structure of the team, and in terms of skilled personnel, and have been able to make the right choices on a technical level.
"It's an example to follow," he adds. "And it is an important example to give hope to our staff, which shows that with work, with investments, with the right choices, we can improve and we can fight for important positions in the future.
"Naturally, it takes time, capacity and the commitment of everyone, but it is a path that we want to follow as a team, just as Aston Martin has done.
"It hasn't surprised me," he says of the team's resurgence. "It should not be forgotten that Aston Martin was born from a very solid base from Force India and later Racing Point, which demonstrated for several years of being capable, despite having a limited budget, of being able to be between fourth and fifth place in the constructors'.
"They already had a very solid base and they have added investments to that and a driver like Fernando Alonso, who is of a very high level and who is making a difference right now.
"So it is the result of good decisions, of a good plan and it is what we are doing now.
"The consequences of this will be seen over time, because ours, like Sauber and now with Alfa Romeo, is a journey that started in 2017 from 10th position in the manufacturers to sixth place in the World Championship last year."