Aston Martin fires first shot at upgrading F1 car: 'From Baku onwards, parts will come'

Aston Martin's uptake in pace this year is exceptionally well-documented. Media outlets are jumping at the opportunity to present the team's position and predict how it will fare throughout the season.

But the team is silently confident over its chances in 2023, with driver Fernando Alonso confirming after the Bahrain Grand Prix that they have several big updates planned for the year. In fact, more than two-thirds of the AMR23 will change between now and Abu Dhabi.

"This is not the final car," Alonso warned.

"This is just the starting car of this concept that we changed over the winter. We had to change 95% of the car, so I guess there is more to learn from it, and there is more to come on our side."

Despite the positive signs, the AMR23 is not perfect. It may be the second-quickest car on the grid, but it lacks top speed. And the team must address it sooner rather than later, which they will do at the upcoming Azerbaijan GP.

A new wing

The AMR23 is one of the most planted cars through corners in 2023. Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll could easily exploit this advantage in the season's opening three races, but they were vulnerable to Red Bull's superior pace in the straights.

Like Aston Martin, Red Bull is also strong in the corners, but their most significant advantage lies when the flap in the rear wing is opened to activate the DRS. This is something Aston Martin could not get on top of.

The AMR23's rear wing is not as effective as Red Bull's during DRS periods, and the team will address this at the end of the month in Azerbaijan.

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"We are every week in the wind tunnel looking for development avenues that can bring significant