Mike Krack believes that the EL2 « are not a reflection » of reality

The second practice session was very complicated for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished 20th and 18th respectively during FP2. Both drivers did not complete any laps on soft tires and were hindered by light rain. Lance Stroll encountered another issue off track. While he was in the garage, the left front tire got stuck. A mechanic had to hammer the tire to remove it, causing the Canadian to lose some time.

Meanwhile, Alonso made a mistake and had a spectacular offtrack moment right at the beginning of the session. « “We started the session normally,” said Mike Krack, team director on Sky Sports F1. « “Then, we were unable to do a fast lap with the soft tires. Fernando spun out at turn 8. We had an issue removing the front left tire from Lance’s car. After that, we weren’t ready when the sky opened up. We were on track with the new soft tires, and unfortunately, we couldn’t complete a lap.” »

The garage remains optimistic.

Aston Martin has arrived with all its latest improvements. During the Austin weekend, only one driver was able to benefit from them. However, Krack stated that the Mexican circuit is not ideal for optimizing the cars. “Coming to Mexico with the altitude is always something you have to get used to,” said Mike Krack. “You have a lot less downforce, less than at Monza, despite the large wings. So it’s something that all drivers have to adapt to. It’s also a very smooth surface here. We have the softest tires and it’s something you have to get used to. But it’s the same for everyone. Ultimately, we continue to learn more about our updates. We conducted some experiments this morning and this afternoon. It was actually quite encouraging. Obviously, when you finish on the charts like that, no one is happy, but it’s not a reflection of reality.”

On the British team side, Fernando Alonso remains optimistic about the rest of the weekend. We focused a lot on the race pace today and the race with a full tank of fuel, things like that, which are difficult to gauge in terms of lap times. But the car felt good, and we have a better understanding of the new parts, explained the 42-year-old driver.