Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has spoken out about the team's challenging 2024 Formula 1 campaign, admitting results fell well short of expectations. Despite finishing fifth in the Constructors' Championship, the Silverstone-based team's points total of 94 marked a sharp decline – 176 fewer than in 2023.
A Season of Decline: “We Can't Be Happy”
Aston Martin began the 2024 season hoping to build on its strong start the previous year, but the team's performance steadily declined after the summer break. Fernando Alonso, who had been a constant competitor in the first half of the season, only managed 19 points after the summer. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll failed to score any points during that same period.
“We delivered below expectations, so we can't be happy with how our season went,” Krack stated bluntly. “If the championship had started in the summer, we wouldn't have finished in P5.”
Krack emphasized the team's struggles with development, noting that its mid-season updates failed to keep pace with rival teams. “The steps we have brought to the car have failed to improve the car,” he admitted. “Now, two years in a row, we haven't really managed to improve from where we started, but rather have gone backwards.”
Developmental Difficulties and High Pressure
Krack identified Aston Martin's lack of a prominent development curve as a key factor in its struggles, highlighting the team's inability to effectively update the AMR24 compared to rival cars.
“Regardless of where we ended up, others' development curve has been much better than ours,” he explained. “The finishing positions of the first eight or nine races of 2023 added a lot of pressure to the whole system.”
This pressure may have led to hasty decisions, Krack suggested, as the team looked for quick solutions that did not yield the desired results. “Should we have waited maybe a step or two until they were actually properly tested? Or are we just rushing because the pressure is high?”
A Need for Self-Reflection
Krack emphasized that the team must take a critical and comprehensive approach to understanding its shortcomings. “You can't just say, 'It's this, it's that.' The level is too high not to look very carefully at what you are doing,” he said.
He outlined the importance of forensically analyzing decisions, admitting that self-criticism would be key to reversing the trend of poor performance. “Do we make the right decisions at the right times? Were we efficient enough in how we implemented the changes? These are all questions we need to answer.”
Looking forward: Rebuilding by 2025
Aston Martin's 2024 season has underlined the importance of long-term planning and strategic decision-making in Formula 1. Although the team's fifth place finish is still respectable, Krack's comments indicate that internal processes and management strategies development will be under the microscope as they seek to return to competitiveness.
For Aston Martin to regain its position, Krack and his team will need to address the fundamental issues that have hampered progress over the past two seasons. With a critical offseason ahead, the focus is on the team to deliver a car in 2025 that can keep pace with the sport's leading constructors.
