Bullish Aston Martin plot to change two-thirds of AMR23 car

Fernando Alonso overtook Lewis Hamilton to finish on the podium at the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, while Lance Stroll impressively drove through the pain barrier to achieve P6, after a winter rife with rumours about the team’s development.

Their showing at the first race of the season was particularly galling for Mercedes, who were knocked further down the pecking order by their customer team whose engine they provide.

• Changing Merc concept is no quick fix - just ask Aston! Bahrain talking points

While Mercedes have confirmed they must re-think their entire concept, Aston Martin are pressing ahead with improvements to two-thirds of the AMR23 throughout this season, Auto Motor Und Sport reports.

"We are starting with a good foundation,” team principal Mike Krack said. 

“This is particularly important under the rules for the budget cap. If you have to sort out problems first, it hits you hard."

Aston Martin will benefit from significantly more wind tunnel time this year than Red Bull or Mercedes, because they finished seventh in the constructors’ championship last season.

Alonso warned: "The important point is the new Aston Martin is a new car, a new project - this is just the beginning. This is just a starting point, not the finished car.

"Some of the top teams kept the philosophy they had last year...for us, it was much more difficult - we had to change 95 per cent of the car.

"For us, there is much more to learn from the car and more to come on our side. I've got full trust in our team, they know what to do, so hopefully we can improve."