Mike Krack: « We performed below expectations »
Aston Martin's team principal has given his assessment of the British team's season. According to him, the team failed to achieve its objectives this season, after a promising 2023 campaign. If we're to move forward, we're going to have to find solutions quickly.
A season in line with what it showed last season. Last year, the team based in Silverstone started the season as the main rival of Red Bull (four podiums in the first five races thanks to Fernando Alonso) and seemed capable of contending for victory if the Austrian team encountered problems during a weekend. Unfortunately, the momentum then stalled and Lawrence Stroll’s team was unable to keep up with the development pace of the other cars, particularly McLaren, which saw a meteoric rise.
A 2024 season below expectations
Finally fifth in the constructors’ championship, Aston Martin still had ambitions this season. However, despite massive work during the winter, nothing changed as the team once again finished fifth in the team standings. This time, though, they were much further behind (374 points behind Mercedes) and were never able to keep up with the pace of the top four teams. The team was even outpaced at the end of the season and saw teams like Haas, Alpine, and Racing Bulls catching up from behind. When delivering the assessment of Aston Martin’s season, Mike Krack, the team director, was direct: the season is not satisfactory.
« We delivered a performance below expectations, so we cannot be satisfied with our season. We remain in P5, but if the championship had started this summer, we wouldn’t have finished fifth. I therefore think it’s necessary to reflect on the season with a lot of critical thinking », explained the Luxembourger who pointed out the multiple failed improvements since 2023 that are affecting the team’s and drivers’ performance and morale.
Mostly failed improvements
« The changes we made to the car did not lead to improvements, and it’s somewhat reminiscent of last year’s situation. The difference is that we started better last year, whereas this season, we didn’t reach the same initial level. Therefore, there are many things to examine in our approach, as it has been two consecutive years now where we have failed to progress from our starting point, instead regressing. » For Mike Krack, it’s crucial to quickly regroup. To do so, he emphasized the need for a thorough and collective analysis of the situation to try to find solutions for a car that has seemed less and less effective over the past two seasons.
Analyze to find solutions
« Independently of the others, you have a benchmark car at the beginning of the year and another at the end of the year, with intermediate stages. No matter our final position, the results of the first eight or nine races of 2023 placed a lot of pressure on the entire system. But in the end, whether you start the season as the fifth or second force, it doesn’t change the observation », he stated.
The former track engineering manager at Porsche highlighted the lack of developments on the car that have prevented the team from progressing. A frustration all the more significant as some teams have managed to do so, like McLaren. « I think the development curve of others has been much better than ours. I think that here, others have done a better job for two consecutive years, and it’s something we need to seriously examine. » The Luxembourger also wanted to provide explanations regarding these failed developments.
An inability to advance the car?
« We always try to be honest with ourselves and analyze this. You might say, “We have improved it in this area, but we might have made it worse in another.” We don’t always improve all areas simultaneously. But seriously, I think it’s concerning. Because if it happens two years in a row, it’s not an isolated case. It’s a structural issue that needs to be analyzed. The progress we wanted to achieve has not been reached. »
« We must therefore be critical of ourselves. We need to ask if we made the right decisions at the right times. Should we have waited before implementing certain improvements? Or did we act hastily due to pressure? These are all questions we must ask ourselves—with a critical mind—and draw the right conclusions. »
Many questions are hovering around Aston Martin. Nevertheless, answers must be quickly found at the risk of seeing the team at the back of the grid next season and without solutions for the upcoming 2026 regulations.
