Aston Martin and Alonso leave F1 midfield rivals in rear-view mirror

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso celebrates with the trophy and team after finishing third in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Aston Martin’s great leap forward

In the opening stages of last season Aston Martin were stuck with a woefully slow car that was a troublesome beast to drive. Having committed early last year to building an entirely new model for 2023, they have found almost two seconds of time on track, an unheard of gain in modern F1.