Abu Dhabi GP
The Debrief by Aramco
Lance and Fernando secure points in the final race of 2023 to make this season our best to date.
Fernando finished seventh and Lance 10th to end our season on a high, bringing our total up to 280 points – the most Aston Martin F1 Team has ever scored in a campaign.
We split our strategies on Sunday with Fernando beginning the race on Medium tyres from P7 and Lance on Hards from P13.
Fernando effectively opened the pit window on Lap 12 as he swapped for Hards, emerging 19th. Lance meanwhile executed a longer first stint, running as high as second before pitting on Lap 22 for another set of Hards.
Lance emerged from his first pitstop in P14 but made moves in quick succession to recover to 12th, returning to the top 10 by Lap 30.
Taking his final pitstop on Lap 42, Lance swapped to Medium tyres, emerging 12th. On newer tyres than his rivals, he made it up to P11 soon after and passed Carlos Sainz for the final point on the final lap.
Fernando had taken his second stop on Lap 36 and returned to P7 on the penultimate lap, bringing our team's total up to 280 points and ensuring we've scored points in all but two weekends in 2023.
The Grand Prix
Read what Fernando, Lance, and Team Principal Mike Krack said on Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
#14 | Fernando Alonso
"If you'd told me before this weekend that I'd finish fourth in the Drivers' Championship, I wouldn't have believed you – so this is a real gift.
"I'm really pleased with the way I’ve driven all season – I think this has been my best, most consistent season of driving since 2012.
"I think I got the maximum from the car all season. The whole Aston Martin team has worked incredibly hard and I am already looking forward to going into the winter and starting work for next season.
"We started this year as an underdog, but we'll start 2024 very much in the spotlight; we need to be ready for that.
"Finally, a big thank-you and well-done to everybody on the team – this year has far exceeded all our wildest expectations and every single person should be proud of what we've achieved."
#18 | Lance Stroll
"We elected to start the race on the Hard tyre and put in a long stint hoping for a Safety Car and a quick stop, but it didn’t play out like that, so we ended up running a two-stop strategy.
"Nevertheless, I think we were attacking well today and making progress throughout the field.
"We do tend to have better pace on a Sunday, and that was definitely the case today.
"I'm pleased that we finished 2023 with some stronger performances that we can be proud of. It's definitely been a year of learning – we've had ups and downs – but we're in a good place heading into next year."
Mike Krack | Team Principal
"I am pleased we could end this successful season with both cars inside the points. There were not too many opportunities in a race with no retirements and things pretty much played out in pace order.
"We did what we could, jumping [Yuki] Tsunoda with Fernando to finish seventh, and Lance made up three places to score the final point. As I reflect on the season, I see only the positives and the huge progress we made compared to last year.
"We have enjoyed some special days, especially in the early part of the season, and we came back strong in the recent races.
"Full credit to Red Bull Racing and Max [Verstappen] for the high standards and new records they have set. To win 21 races in a season is a remarkable achievement and can only act as motivation for us to close the gap ahead of 2024.
"It has been our best season to date as a team – scoring 280 vs 55 last season. I would like to thank everyone trackside and at the AMRTC for all the hard work. Also to our fans and all our partners – without their support we could not have achieved this progress."