Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack has attributed the side’s slump in performance in Austria down to track specifics and is optimistic it won’t suffer a repeat at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Although the British outfit scooped a respectable haul of 21 points from the Sprint weekend, Aston Martin’s AMR23 package didn’t appear as competitive at the Red Bull Ring as it has for most of this season.
Its two drivers could only land sixth and seventh positions in qualifying, with Fernando Alonso prevailing as the lead Aston Martin on Sunday in fifth once a plethora of post-race penalties were applied.
However, the two-time World Champion never looked likely to add to his tally of six podium finishes this year, ending 25s adrift of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in second.
Asked if the team had understood the reasons why its car wasn’t as strong as in previous rounds, Krack responded: “Yeah, I mean, after the race. But that is something that happens after each race.
“There’s a lot of analysis going on. I think we have to analyse what are the particularities of the circuit compared to other circuits. Where would this have put us?
“Fernando said yesterday, also traditionally, it was also not the greatest track for us, which I have to agree. But we need to get to the bottom of it and move on.
“I think the British Grand Prix this week is something that is really very exciting for all of us. We have new bits on the car that we tested this morning.
“So we’re looking ahead to do the best possible this weekend.”
Pressed on whether he was therefore pinning Aston Martin’s shortage of pace on track specifics, Krack added: “Yeah, I think that is the case. So we have seen some circuits where we were really strong. We have seen others where we’ve been more struggling.
“But all in all, I think when we say competitive or non-competitive, we came away with 21 points. So I think it’s not a bad result.”
Despite not hitting the same heights as earlier in the season with its own performance, Mercedes endured an even worse time of things in Austria to allow Aston Martin to close to within three points of its engine supplier in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s British GP, Krack is hopeful that Aston Martin will enjoy a more competitive outing at its home event.
“Yeah, as happens often when you have a Sprint weekend, the following weekend’s [practice] is just a test session,” he explained after FP1. “It was the case for us.
“Fernando had the big rake on the car. We had a big test programme for both cars. And at the end, we fitted a set of Softs, it was more like a look and see.
“And it felt good. Both drivers were happy with what how the car behaves. So we’re quite confident for the next sessions.”
Last season Aston Martin scored two points at Silverstone, courtesy of Sebastian Vettel landing ninth place in the AMR22.
While Stroll was unable to follow his former team-mate home in the points, the Canadian did produce an assured drive to eighth place in 2021 in Aston Martin’s first British Grand Prix appearance for 61 years.
Meanwhile, Alonso has enjoyed success previously on British soil, taking to the top step of the podium in 2006 and 2011 for Renault and Ferrari respectively.
The Spaniard has also scored points at the Northamptonshire venue in both of the two races held there since he returned to F1 two years ago, peaking with fifth in 2022.
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