After a blazing start in 2023, with several podium finishes by Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin lost momentum – especially after introducing updates that didn’t work as expected.
The situation forced a long process of understanding, in an attempt to start reversing the events even during last year. And that was achieved, with two podium finishes in a later phase and the possibility of Alonso securing a respectable fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship.
The team boss, Mike Krack, told the Aston Martin website that it was possible to better understand the car and there is a clear direction for the new season… but he issued a warning about the expectations:
– We understood the car at the end of the season, but it would be wrong to say that we absolutely understand everything about the AMR23. We understand a lot, we know what we want to do for 2024 and the direction we need to take with the car for the next season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we will show up at the first round in Bahrain and be in the fight for victory.
There are nine other teams in the field also looking for results and improvements, as the Silverstone team manager emphasized: ‘We are up against formidable opponents, and the big unknown throughout the winter is always what kind of work the other teams have done. There is a lot of anxiety. You are always questioning yourself: ‘Did we do enough?’. Whatever happens, it always results in the same loop: if the cars go on the track and we haven’t done enough, then we have to work hard to improve. If we have done enough, then we have to work hard to improve even more’.
