Aston Martin still has “budget to keep developing” amid mid-season F1 slump

Aston Martin started F1 2023 in spectacular fashion with six podium finishes in the opening eight races.

The Silverstone-based outfit were often the closest challenger to Red Bull and could have won the Monaco Grand Prix had they gambled on the intermediates, rather than the slicks.

Since Spain, their form has dipped as teams around them have developed, particularly McLaren.

Heading into the second half of the season, performance director Tom McCullough revealed Aston Martin still have the "budget to keep developing the car".

“We've been targeting quite strong development throughout the year and we have budget to keep developing the car," he said. "That's our aim.

“At a certain point, you have to fully focus on 2024, but we're in the phase now where we're able to work on both cars," he added. "So we are bringing some steps all the way to the end of the championship, really, as much as we can do.

“Even some of the lessons you learn on '24 you can adapt as well, whether it's in CFD [computational fluid dynamics], wind tunnel, or the mechanical side. So we're just pushing to the end.”

Amid their mid-season slump, McCullough explained that Aston Martin have “understood” what has gone wrong and that “continuous development” is what they have planned.

“I think we've understood what we've done to the car," he added. "The developments that are coming in the second half of the season are already actually addressing some of the areas we're not as strong in.

“I think really from Zandvoort onwards, we're going to have some continuous development - as we've done all year.”