Mike Krak: We need to improve reliability

The weekend in Austin started badly for Aston Martin. Team leader Mike Krak tried to explain the reasons…

Q: The weekend started poorly for the team. What problems prevented you on Friday?
Mike Krak: When we did the test lap at the start of the first practice, both cars had an overheating problem in the front left of the chassis. We had to call the drivers to the pits when we saw flames on the on-board camera images.

We inspected the cars, unfortunately for one of them the training ended there – repairs would have taken too much time, but we managed to get the other one back on track.

Question: Does this have to do with the new products you brought this weekend?
Mike Krak: No.

Q: Lance Stroll again suffered the most. Problems one after the other. What happens to him after the summer holidays? Is he experiencing a crisis of confidence?
Mike Krak: First of all, and you saw this on Friday, the fact is that we cannot provide him with a reliable car. We lost a session in Monza, then in Zandvoort, now here. It is clear that we need to improve this.

There are times when Lance himself says: “I have to do better in this session”, but we cannot give him a stable car with which he can perform well.

Q: What did Fernando say about the new products prepared by the team?
Mike Krak: Actually he said the track was even bumpier than before. We have collected information about the performance of new products for further analysis, and now we are going to do this.

Question: McLaren is now only 11 points behind you in the Constructors’ Championship. Can you stop them?
Mike Krak: It’s not about McLaren, it’s about what we can do from our side, how can we improve the car and go further? This is the only thing we can influence. We brought several new products, we need to analyze the effectiveness of their work and prepare for the continuation of the weekend.

Question: Given the problems with poor health of drivers due to the heat in Qatar, should the FIA ​​intervene and determine the maximum temperature in the cockpit, the placement of electronic units etc.?
Mike Krak: Yes, this is a relevant question. The GPDA and the FIA ​​drivers’ union have exchanged views and we will see what happens in the coming weeks.

Other categories tackle this problem differently. IndyCar has active cooling, which we do not have. In the coming weeks we will meet with all interested parties and make a decision.

No one wants to continue in the same vein. The drivers should feel more at ease. If we want them to be the best they can be on the track, we have to work together to achieve this.