Aston Martin is confident, because in qualifying Fernando Alonso showed the 5th result, ahead of both Mercedes drivers. Team boss Mike Krak expects the Bahrain Grand Prix to confirm the fast pace the AMR23 has shown during testing.
Q: Admit it, maybe you dreamed that Fernando Alonso could break into the front row? Tell us what were your expectations?
Mike Crack: It’s hard to say what my expectations were, because during all sessions and all races we were as focused as possible on our work. We have not analyzed the results of the rest, because in any case, first of all, we must fulfill our duties and try to cope with them as best as possible.
We are happy with what we have achieved. We hoped to take a step forward, because in the tests it is impossible to say exactly what position you are in against your rivals. I think today’s results prove that we have been able to take a serious step forward.
Q: So you were sure the car wouldn’t run any worse in qualifying than it did in practice?
Mike Crack: Yes, exactly. And she worked just as well in training as she did on tests. During the second qualifying session we decided to be on the safe side, not experiment and put new tires on the cars. That’s why we had a set of Soft less in the final, but Mercedes did the same. In general, we are happy with how things turned out.
Q: What can you say about the race pace your car is capable of? In testing we saw that the pace of the Aston Martin was slightly better than that of the Ferrari. Maybe the Scuderia can solve the problem of rubber degradation, or maybe not. What do you think of tomorrow’s race?
Mike Crack: We’ll see tomorrow, but I think we’ll look confident in the race. Besides, I’m sure it will be, and I’m already looking forward to it.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
