Mike Krak: Formula 1 never stands still

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krak summarized the results of the first quarter of the season…

Question: Mike, 25% of the season is over. How do you evaluate the results?
Mike Krak: The first months were quite exciting. In terms of speed, the car meets expectations – we have closed the gap with the leaders, but the battle in the middle group is very fierce. This year we assumed we would reach the fifth fastest time, as was usually the case in the races.

We often finished third in qualifying and that is positive. We are working hard to develop the car so that it can realize its capabilities on a fast lap.

Every two weeks we flew to new legs in the west and east, did time zone adjustment become one of the important issues at the beginning of the season? but racing in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan, China and Miami allowed us to meet fans all over the world and we did a great job. Our pit stops were always some of the best, we had no hiccups. The team achieved good results – this is the result of the hard work of all employees at the base and on the track.

Question: Are you happy to return to Europe, where the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will start the European part of the season?
Mike Krak: Yes. We will be racing at least once every two weeks until the summer holidays. We look forward to returning to Imola. This phase is a great test for the drivers and engineers who will try to optimize the settings.

After the terrible floods that prevented us from racing at Imola last year, we are looking forward to returning to the legendary circuit and hoping to put on a good show for the fans.

The passion of Italian fans for the sport and Ferrari is well known, but in recent years we have seen more and more people wearing green in the stands. I hope there will be more now.

The Imola stage has a rich history. We all remember the battles between Alonso and Schumacher in 2005 and 2006. Sadly, we lost Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger here in 1994, and 30 years after that tragic day, the Formula 1 community will come together this weekend to remember them and their to show respect.

Q: What else can we expect at Imola this weekend?
Mike Krak: This is a special race that often provides a lot of spectacle. Pirelli will bring three of the softest compounds to its line-up this weekend, a step softer than last time, adding a new variable and providing the opportunity for bold strategic decisions.

Earning points is our main goal at every Grand Prix. We have a good qualifying pace, it is important to maintain this on Saturday and translate it into a good result on Sunday. There are usually not many overtaking opportunities at Imola, so qualifying is especially important.

Question: At the start of the European season, teams usually update their cars. What’s new on AMR24?
Mike Krak: We will be bringing new products to Imola as part of the car update program as the season progresses. This should solve several problems, but everything is relative – Formula 1 never stands still – our rivals will also bring new parts. We need to focus on ourselves and continue to close the gap with the leaders. Everyone in the team does their best for this.