The Formula 1 world is eagerly awaiting developments: Aston Martin’s first update of the season is expected to bring the team into the midfield starting in Hungary—but former team principal Günther Steiner has serious doubts
What will Aston Martin’s first update—set to debut next week at the Hungarian Grand Prix—deliver? If you believe engineering genius Adrian Newey, the team could “at least be in the points, so really in the midfield.” Günther Steiner, however, has serious doubts.
“I think the best they can achieve is to catch up to Williams. But even that’s a big step,” said the former Haas team principal ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix on The Red Flags Podcast. “That’s just half a step toward the front-runners.”
“Anything beyond that would be nothing short of a miracle,” Steiner added emphatically, pointing to the British team’s significant deficit. “When you consider that they’re about two and a half seconds behind the front-runners: How are they supposed to make up those two and a half seconds in just a few months?”
Steiner jokes: “World champions with the next upgrade”
In qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were each four seconds off the Q1 fastest time set by McLaren driver Lando Norris. And even the gap to Formula 1 newcomer Cadillac was still more than two seconds.
Steiner therefore doesn’t believe that Aston Martin will suddenly be competing in the midfield with the update. “ “They had four months to develop and build these parts,” the South Tyrolean points out, noting that the team has not yet introduced any updates. “If they manage to do that, then they’ll be world champions with the next upgrade.”
Expectations for Aston Martin were high before the start of this year’s season. This was due to the new engine partnership with Honda as well as the first car developed under the leadership of engineering genius Newey. However, these hopes have not been fulfilled so far.
After the first nine races of the season, Aston Martin sits in tenth place in the Constructors’ Championship with just one championship point. Behind them is only Cadillac in eleventh place, which has yet to score any points. Alonso earned Aston Martin’s only point so far with a tenth-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix.