Will Alonso’s arrival kick Aston Martin into a higher gear in 2023? · RaceFans

Is it genuinely possible to break free from the purgatory of the midfield and join the top three teams at the front of the Formula 1 field?

Over the last ten seasons, midfield teams have invested billions into trying to bridge the chasm separating them and Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari at the apex of Formula 1. To date, none have succeeded. But Aston Martin is different.

Ever since Racing Point’s Silverstone base was taken over by a Lawrence Stroll-led consortium and rebranded in British Racing Green, the team have hardly produced outstanding results on track. Yet that will not have troubled Aston Martin’s management, who have playing the long game from the moment they first closed the purchase of the team back in 2018.

The Silverstone squad had always punched above its weight, so the natural strategy was for the team to bulk up in order to join the real heavyweights. But serious levelling-up requires serious investment and Aston Martin’s benefactors have injected over £200m into an all-new, state-of-the-art factory to transform them from perennial midfield runners to genuine contenders.

Sitting alongside its previous facility on the same plot, the 40-acre, three-building factory will feature a new wind tunnel, swanky new staff offices and a new design, research and development hub tailor-made for F1’s new budget cap age. While not all of it will be completed in 2023, the main building is due to open up for the first time later this year – the first big step on what Aston Martin hope will be a journey to becoming title contenders.

But having the facilities and resources to win is nothing without the driving talent to exploit it. And who better to lead Aston Martin into their bright future than a 41-year-old driver who has not won a grand prix in almost a decade?

Fernando Alonso’s switch from Alpine to Aston Martin was a shocking move eclipsed only in drama by Oscar Piastri refusing his subsequent call-up by Alpine in order to sign for McLaren. Alonso joins his sixth factory of his F1 career even hungrier for that elusive third world championship than ever before. F1’s most experienced ever driver is under no illusion that he may have to wait even longer to get a chance.

“I’m not thinking about timeframes and how long it will take the team to win races,” Alonso said. “I will take it race by race, season by season. What’s important is that we keep making progress.

“This is a very…