Krak: We have managed to narrow the gap with the leaders somewhat

After four rounds in the championship, Aston Martin F1 sits fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, having finished second behind Red Bull Racing at this stage of the season a year ago. The situation was commented on by the head of the Silverstone team, Mike Krak.

The start of last season was overall the most successful in its history: Fernando Alonso was on the podium in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia, took 4th place in Azerbaijan, but then finished in the top three again in Miami, and generally fought for victory in Monaco, but ultimately took 2nd place.

But in 2024 he has not yet managed to get on the podium, and his best result so far remains 5th place in Jeddah, although he has earned points in all races since the start of the season. The same cannot be said about Lance Stroll, his teammate, who only finished in the top ten twice.

And yet Aston Martin is only one point behind Mercedes in the team standings, although this is more likely explained not by the speed of the green cars, but by the problems of the factory team of the Stuttgart concern. “We cannot say that we are in some kind of no-man’s area. We are certainly not inferior to Mercedes and are not that far behind McLaren,” said Krak. “This is encouraging, although each weekend’s results only reflect the balance of power at a certain point in the season. We need to confirm our capabilities at the upcoming races in China, Miami and Imola.”

In Japan the team decided to take a risk: Alonso started on soft tires, although the track surface in Suzuka is aggressive, which inevitably entails increased tire wear.

“We prayed that clouds would block the sun, but instead we saw beautiful weather,” continued the Aston Martin F1 boss. “But it helped us that due to an incident involving Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon, the race was stopped with red flags. If you start on Soft tires and the race is interrupted due to an accident or a safety car, the tires can rest, after which it is a little easier to control wear.”

For the Japanese leg of the championship, Aston Martin has prepared a number of technical innovations, including the modernization of the underbody of the AMR24. “These machines are incredibly complex and sometimes it can take a while to figure out the best way to use new components,” Krak added. – In Suzuka we missed the second practice session due to rain, so the process of studying the effectiveness of new products continues. But the first impression is this: we have managed to narrow the gap with the leaders somewhat, and we are also able to maintain the positions we currently hold. We must ensure that these trends continue into the future.”