Mike Krack explains that “the factories have never stopped running.”

Aston Martin has brilliantly started its season. The car introduced in Bahrain at the beginning of 2023 quickly established itself as the closest competitor to Red Bull. With Fernando Alonso in excellent form, the English team has secured six podium finishes in eight races.

However, the team led by Mike Krack has faced difficulties. The development and improvements of the AMR23 have been too infrequent and ineffective.

His direct rivals, such as Mercedes and McLaren, took advantage of this opportunity to surpass Aston Martin in the constructors’ standings. Finally, in Brazil, satisfaction returned with a podium finish achieved by the Spaniard.

A drop in form during the mid-season

The decline in performance of Aston Martin has been evident since the Spielberg Grand Prix.

The car proved to be less efficient, and its flaws were not mitigated. Many disappointments followed. The latest improvement to date (before the Las Vegas GP) was made in Austin.

However, the beginnings were not very convincing. In Mexico, the two drivers also encountered difficulties. The last race in Brazil was reassuring for the team, which never stopped working on improvements.

“After Zandvoort, we experienced a few races that were not up to par. We then followed with Austin, Mexico, and Brazil, an intense period in terms of workload, absence, jet lag, and heat, with a lot of effort for mixed results,” admitted Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s director.

However, coming back like we did, I think it’s a great honor for all the people involved in our team, whether it’s on the track, at the factory, or on campus. Everyone contributed.

The factories have never stopped running

Despite setbacks and underperformances, the British team did not give up during the season. Although the improvements were not always fundamentally effective, they were consistently implemented.

Furthermore, the team director had explained that Aston Martin’s strategy was to prepare for 2024.

“The lights have never gone out in the factory all this time, believe me,” stated the Luxembourgish engineer.

This shows that by being a strong team, by trusting each other and believing in one another, we can achieve incredible things. After Mexico, where we were on the opposite side of the grid, you can see how things can sometimes evolve. But our reaction after Mexico testifies to our strength.

The team acknowledged having “sacrificed” some results this season in order to conduct tests. Resources were mainly directed towards the car and adjustments for 2024.

However, the team manager believed it was important to conduct these tests. Prior to the Las Vegas GP, Aston Martin is trailing McLaren by 21 points, who currently holds the 4th position in the championship.