Aston Martin’s team principal, Mike Krack, refutes any suggestion that the team is under-performing, despite a less stellar start to the 2024 season compared to the previous year.
While the team has yet to secure a podium finish this season, they managed to clinch five podiums in the first six rounds of the 2023 season.
Krack acknowledges that the team is indeed closer to the leading pack in terms of overall performance. However, he points out that the competition has intensified, with other teams stepping up their game, thereby increasing the difficulty of scoring points.
“Performance-wise, we are where we expected to be,” Krack affirmed. “We’ve closed the gap to the front but it’s ultra-competitive and the pack is very tight.”
Despite the challenges, veteran driver Fernando Alonso has been consistent in scoring points in all six Grand Prix races so far. However, he has faced the struggle of finishing lower than his starting position in four of those races.
“Coming into this year, we expected to be fifth fastest and that’s where we’ve often been in race trim,” Krack stated. “In qualifying, we’ve often been third fastest which has been positive, and we’re working hard on developing the car to make sure we can capitalise on our strong performance over one lap.”
Following the initial six rounds of the 2024 season, Aston Martin has accumulated 42 points out of a potential 294. In comparison, during the same period last year, the team had amassed 120 points out of a possible 279.
In an effort to narrow the gap to the frontrunners, Aston Martin plans to introduce additional new components for its AMR24 during the upcoming weekend.
Mike Krack, the team’s principal, elaborated on this strategy, stating, “We’re bringing an update to Imola as part of our continuous programme of in-season development.
“This should address several areas for improvement that we’ve identified, but it’s all relative – nobody stands still in F1 – and our competitors will be bringing new parts too.”
This move reflects Aston Martin’s commitment to continuous improvement as they strive to enhance their performance on the track.
Krack highlighted that Aston Martin has shown improvements in various aspects of its performance in 2024. “Operationally, we’ve been very strong,” he emphasized.
“Our pit stops have consistently been among the fastest and we have not lost a minute of track time because of any operational glitches.
“As a team, we’ve executed well throughout the campaign and that is down to the hard work and dedication of everyone both at the Campus and the track.”
