Before the summer break, Mike Krack expressed his optimism at Aston Martin F1: developments, particularly those in Austin, would allow the team to bounce back.
But this was not the case; worse, Aston Martin F1 fell back in pure performance, even being the slowest team at Interlagos. The Silverstone team even threw its new Austin flat bottom in the trash.
Isn't this a frank disavowal? Against all odds, team director Mike Krack explains that he must maintain his optimism and his high level of confidence.
“Yes, although it may seem difficult to understand after recent races. The development direction has always been clear, and it is crucial – perhaps more crucial than people outside realize – but we have failed to deliver the performance improvements we expected and deliver. Lance and Fernando have a sufficiently competitive car. »
“There are important lessons to be learned about the reasons for this failure. Perhaps we were a little too impatient to bring developments to the track. There is a constant demand for evolution, evolution, evolution, and sometimes we have been in too much of a hurry. There is a lesson to be learned: quality, not quantity. »
“When I step back to look at the big picture, however, things are encouraging. The AMR25 shows good signs in the wind tunnel; we have managed to attract some of the best minds in sport, such as Andy Cowell, Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile, to our team; we constantly have new installations becoming operational; and the project to build the team of the future is progressing at a steady pace. »
“There's a lot going on behind the scenes that convinces me we're going in the right direction – hence my confidence. We are in a much better position than last year because we have learned a lot – both from successes and mistakes. We become more rigorous, formulate our objectives better, ask more questions to better match our expectations and our results. »
Aston Martin F1 seems to be paying off, paradoxically, for its excellent start to 2023, with Fernando Alonso's repeated podiums.
Mike Krack admits, this golden period changed expectations of the Silverstone team.
“Yes – because of the first eight races of 2023. This period was unreal. She gave us a reference point that we weren't yet ready for, and I said so at the time. That's why I say we're in a much better position now: we're doing things better than we were then. Competitive position largely depends on what other teams do, and some of them do a great job. This is another thing we need to learn from. »
Alonso and Stroll demoralized?
Aren't Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll demoralized by this loss of competitiveness? We could understand it…
“I have to pay tribute to them, they behaved in an exemplary manner. It's in difficult times that you discover who is strong. This year it took me a while to realize how strong they were. In front of the media, they showed themselves to be real team players, absolutely solid. »
“It's incredibly difficult for them, because they are the ones who find themselves in front of the microphones, facing criticism, while we have not delivered what we promised. Week after week, they showed up and presented a united front. If ever they were critical, it was always fair, and always with the aim of extracting the maximum from the team. »
Because of this lack of competitiveness, would Mike Krack say that the performance of his drivers (especially Alonso) has gone unnoticed this year?
“When you're fighting for podiums, there are 50 journalists around you, but when you're fighting for 12th place, there are maybe one or two. It must be difficult for them – just because they didn't come away with trophies doesn't mean they drove any less well. They have been able to manage their frustration and understand that there is nothing to be gained from negativity. To some extent, I went through the same process, and we all became closer because of it. This year has brought us closer together as a team. This is an extremely positive point in our journey. »
What else can we expect from the end of the year?
Aston Martin F1 has nothing left to play for at the end of the year. Barring any major surprises, the team will finish in 5th place in the manufacturers' standings… Krack is therefore looking to mobilize its team.
“The obvious objective for the remainder of this season is to maintain fifth place in the constructors' championship. The less obvious goal is to learn as much as possible for 2025. We will continue to try to get the most out of the races, but it is also important to use the Friday practice sessions to check if what we let's do is the right approach for 2025.”
