Aston Martin sank into the shallows of the starting grid in the first few races. The B version is on the up. In Baku, the AMR22 was faster than ever. The engineers are working on further developments.
Aston Martin took a breather in Baku. No track specific wings, no new parts. Nevertheless, there were more points than ever this season. Sebastian Vettel gave his team sixth place with eight points. Aston Martin scored a total of 15 World Championship points. Haas has caught up with it. Next, the racing team from the British Silverstone has the Alpha Tauri in their sights.
The team from Faenza could have been beaten in Azerbaijan. If Vettel hadn't made a mistake. Nevertheless, the man from Heppenheim drove a good weekend, which could not be said of teammate Lance Stroll. He fired his car into the Tecpro protective walls twice in qualifying. The front wing held up the first time. The component is significantly more robust than last year because the wing grows out of the nose and is no longer attached to pylons.
AMR22B with larger window
Stroll gave up the race prematurely. Strong vibrations worried the engineers. The first suspicion fell on the underbody, which had never been seen on the car before. Not a new version, but also not one that was already in use. The Canadian drove away from the points anyway. Aston Martin didn't want to take the risk of the engine being hit by the strong vibrations.
This is how Vettel got the coals out of the fire. And showed that Aston Martin took another step forward. Since Barcelona, since the B version has been in action, the green car has matured into a fast racing car. The bouncing has largely disappeared. And the Aston Martin AMR22B handles bumps much more gently than the Mercedes W13. Baku was the ultimate test for that. test passed.
The engineers have expanded the voting window. The Aston can now be driven softer and higher. On a bumpy track like Baku, greater freedom of movement was the joker. "It would have been difficult with the old car," says team boss Mike Krack. There was only one tuning: deep and hard. Then the green car would have tripped over the bumps like the Mercedes.
New parts for the home game
Aston Martin flew over the straights while the Mercedes with the same engine stuttered. Vettel reached a top speed of 342.4 km/h in qualifying. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell managed 334.0 and 333.7 km/h respectively. Of course, the slipstream can play a role. But you just have to listen to the onboards. You can hear how much the Mercedes touches down in comparison, and the speed fluctuates as a result. The up and down drives up the air resistance.
The green racing car alleviated these problems.Despite the small rear wing, Vettel was also able to stroke the tires over the distance. This car has potential. "We're learning something new every day. That's why it's hard to say what percentage we're at," says the team boss. Vettel still asks for new parts. They should come soon. "There's still a lot to come. We still have some breathing room. But it also has to do with accidents, whether new wings are built for circuits like Monza, for example." Any damage reduces budgets.
The next update should come at home in Silverstone. Aston Martin wants to advance into the front midfield. Some even dream of reaching Mercedes level. On paper, however, the W13 is the significantly faster car.
Aston Martin has a clear opinion on the discussions about a possible inflation surcharge. Because of the many crises in the world, one would welcome it. However, this should not generally undermine the budget cap. Team boss Krack: "Yes, it's a surcharge because the money is worth less. But we don't clamor for it like some other teams in the grid." Aston Martin is optimistic about Montreal. The car should also swallow the bumps and curbs there. The engineers say: "The track should also fit." Vettel states: "The car feels better every time. I'm excited to see what we can get out of Montreal."
