Aston Martin’s team principal is once more quelling the chatter surrounding Fernando Alonso’s growing discontent within the team.
The accomplished 42-year-old Spaniard showcased a series of top-three finishes at the beginning of 2023, sparking buzz about the possibility of him clinching his 33rd career win following a notable hiatus.
However, as Aston Martin’s mid-season upgrades appear to lose momentum, team principal Mike Krack finds himself constantly deflecting hints that Alonso’s exasperation is becoming all too evident.
In Suzuka, glimpses of Alonso’s agitation were clear, especially when he communicated to his engineers about “throwing me to the lions” in their race game plan.
Nevertheless, Alonso attributed this to the portrayal of his radio transmission on television.
“It is always the same,” he told the Spanish broadcaster DAZN. “FOM always take my radio completely out of context.”
Indeed, the distinguished two-time world champion did admit that he subsequently overlooked his team’s advice to approach the Suzuka kerbs with caution.
“I didn’t pay attention,” Alonso said, “because I already had enough to do with the car without going down the middle of the track. I was going flat out and trying to maintain the position.”
He emphasized that Aston Martin has faced hurdles in refining the 2023 car’s DRS system this year.
“We have a great lack of top speed,” said Alonso. “We open the DRS and the car in front still goes away from us.”
He expressed this was the catalyst for his lions remark.
“I’m very curious what other drivers would have said if they were in my situation,” said Alonso. “Behind a car that is supposed to be slower because of DRS but still pulls away on the straights when you have DRS open.”
Krack, understanding Alonso’s sentiments at that juncture, shared his perspective.
“If a driver was not frustrated, he’d better ask himself if he is suitable for Formula 1,” he said. “So yeah, it’s ok like that for us. Everything is absolutely fine. For us, it is a motivation.”
Krack conceded that Alonso’s frustration with the team’s decelerated pace of in-season car upgrades this year is justified.
“The trend is important,” he said. “If you start ahead and then others overtake you, it is more difficult for morale. And vice versa.
“So for us it is very important to change the trend. It’s simple – we haven’t done enough.
“But I’m sure if you listen to the radios of the 20 drivers, they are all demanding and passionate. Because if he is not like that, what kind of driver is he?”
Krack mentioned that Aston Martin remains committed to introducing upgrades to the 2023 car during the final six grands prix of this season.
“There will be more before the last races,” he said. “Though it’s accurate to note that in this domain, both in terms of volume and excellence, we’ve integrated fewer components than our main competitors.
“We won’t jeopardize our future car, as the insights from the current model will be relevant for next year,” stated Krack.
Upon being queried if Aston Martin’s 2024 design would emulate this year’s model or lean towards a style akin to Red Bull and McLaren, Krack responded, “I don’t want to answer.”
