Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team principal, Mike Krack, is determined to propel the team further up the grid but warns against drastic measures that could destabilize their progress. While the team has made some strides recently, collecting 12 points over the last two races in Singapore and Azerbaijan—thanks to Fernando Alonso’s impressive performances—it has struggled to keep up with the top four teams.
Despite these recent gains, Krack is clear-eyed about the overall state of competitiveness, stating, “Everyone is putting upgrades on, removing part of them, or removing them all, going back to a previous spec, so the subject is not an easy one. I wish we would be in a different position, but we are not.”
Krack acknowledged that Aston Martin’s situation requires self-reflection and improvements, emphasizing that the team’s recent results shouldn’t mask the reality that they are still far from competing with the top teams. “We should not go into full destruction mode as a team,” he cautioned, “but we have to make sure that the positive results we are accumulating are not hiding the facts we have to improve, or that we are not where we wanted to be.”
Krack’s assessment focuses on the larger issue: despite scoring points, Aston Martin is being outpaced by its rivals. Teams ahead in the Constructors’ Championship, such as Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes, are consistently pulling in three or four times the points per race, keeping Aston Martin well behind in the standings.
Looking ahead to the United States Grand Prix, Krack confirmed the team would introduce upgrades aimed at addressing the overall performance of the car, rather than focusing on one specific weakness. He highlighted ongoing struggles with both downforce and balance, depending on the circuit, and stressed the need for improvements in both areas.
“We have to make a good step in both [downforce and balance], because from the debrief, the drivers are not happy either when the speed is very low,” Krack explained.
While Aston Martin is firmly in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship this season, the team’s 2024 campaign pales in comparison to its 2023 performance, where it secured eight podiums, including three second-place finishes. As the season progresses, Krack is focused on refining the car’s performance without sacrificing stability within the team as it aims to close the gap to the sport’s front-runners.
