Mike Krack, the team boss of Aston Martin, has apologized to the team’s drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, over their recent slump in form.
The team started the season with six podiums in eight races, but recent performances have shown a regression in form. However, there is a sense of optimism after Alonso finished fifth and Stroll finished ninth at the Belgian Grand Prix.
This result helped Aston Martin retain their third position in the constructors’ championship, going into the summer break. Krack is confident that the team has identified the main weaknesses of their car and is optimistic about the team’s prospects going forward with updates on the way.
Speaking at Spa, Krack said, “I’m very confident because, over the last three or four events, you always need a little bit more data to see where you are because it’s also a relative game. Other competitors are also changing their cars, so you’re always chasing a moveable target. But, at the end of the day, we are quite confident we have identified the main weaknesses and now it is about trying to solve them, and not trying to introduce others.”
Drivers’ united front helps team understand dip in form
Krack was also full of praise for the team’s two drivers, Alonso and Stroll, who have frequently shown a united front throughout the course of this season.
This attitude has helped the team understand where the dip in form has come from, and Krack did offer his own apology to the pair that the front-running car they had become used to slipped back down the pecking order.
“It’s great to have Fernando, but it’s also great to have Lance in this context,” Krack explained. “We are fortunate that both drivers have a very open dialogue, they exchange lots about their feelings of the car or about their thoughts. They often come into the debriefs or into the meetings with a consolidated opinion, which is very good for us because then you do not have to try and get into two development directions, but only take one. So we are quite happy with the way it has evolved over the last races.”
“The drivers, I have to say credit to both of them because it was a difficult situation when you are used to having a front-running car and then you start to slip back a little bit. It’s easy to get destructive, and it happened exactly the opposite, so I’m really happy with the way that this has evolved.”
“I’m really sorry for our drivers that we have not maybe managed to keep up there, but rest assured, we will try everything to come back.”
With Alonso holding third place in the drivers’ championship and Aston Martin only five points ahead of fourth-placed Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, there will be no shortage of pressure once racing returns at the end of August. But, as Krack insisted, there’s plenty of motivation within the team as they look to earn the maximum number of points possible.
“We do not need to see the competitors to see the motivation,” Krack added. “I think, when we see what we have achieved in the beginning – you know everybody wants the podiums – and this is the biggest motivation. It is not about the development of others, it is about this desire to do well and the desire to get back to the front. Together with our drivers, we try everything because we want more of these.”
