Alonso fires warning to Aston Martin's rivals over 2023 car

Fernando Alonso has warned Aston Martin's Formula 1 rivals that because the AMR23 is "95% new", the team are nowhere near their potential. Over the winter, Aston redesigned their concept, opting for a route similar to Red Bull, forcing them into what Technical Director Dan Fallows called a "95%" change from the AMR22. The car looked quick throughout testing and practice in Sakhir, with Alonso delivering a podium finish in his first race for the Silverstone-based squad in third place. And the two-time World Champion believes the fact that the Aston is a fresh start holds a lot of promise for the team.

"I mean, there are a couple of areas that we have to improve that I will not share, but I think the most important point is that the new Aston Martin is just a new car, a new project," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.com. "This is just the beginning, this is not the final car, this is just the starting car of the concept we changed over the winter. "Some of the top teams have just kept the same philosophy that they had last year, Red Bull and Ferrari mostly kept the same shapes, and just fine-tuned things and making perfection of that good baseline they had. "For us, it was much more difficult. We had to change 95% of the car, so there is more to learn from the car and more to come on our side. "[I have] full trust in our team, obviously they know what they are doing, so let's hopefully improve soon." Can Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin win a race in the 2023 season? Let us know in the comment section and the poll below!