Aston Martin is determined not to repeat the “saga” that disrupted its 2024 Formula 1 campaign, with Trackside Officer Mike Krack confirming the team is now focused on making more informed, data-backed decisions before committing to upgrade directions.
Having trialled different floor specifications across both cars last season — a costly and logistically demanding process — the team is prioritising clarity and consistency in its development path.
The British squad spent much of late 2024 switching floor set-ups from race to race, a strategy that complicated rather than clarified performance issues.
Now keen to avoid the same trap, Krack says the approach has changed for 2025 — with the team taking a more measured stance on upgrades.
When asked directly about whether Aston Martin would continue swapping floor specifications as they did last year, Krack was clear.
“Yes, we will not do that, so we will not do what we have done last year,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think that is also why, what I just mentioned to you, we want to get more data, because these FP1 sessions are always quite short.
“You have different tyres, you have conditions and you cannot change your floor during sessions, so you have to do cross-car, cross-sessions, these kind of exercises.
“When you take these kind of decisions, you have to be sure, otherwise you will always carry five of each, which is not only a logistical problem, but also cost.
“That is why we want to get more in-depth knowledge of our results and our data and make the right decisions.”
Aston Martin takes a cautious and data-driven approach to floor development
A revised floor introduced at Imola appeared to mark a turning point for the team. Further developments followed at Silverstone, where a new floor was trialled, though the team chose not to race it at Spa-Francorchamps.
Instead, Aston Martin brought a new front wing — but endured one of its toughest weekends of the year.
At the Hungaroring, the team kept the upgraded front wing but again held back on the new floor, running it only for Lance Stroll in Friday’s opening session. Stand-in Felipe Drugovich continued with the previous specification for comparison.
While the new floor showed promise at the British Grand Prix, Krack cautioned that the team is still gathering data before fully committing to it.
“No, it is not about being sure – as I mentioned before, the track character is very different to Silverstone,” he added.
“Silverstone is a little bit special track, and don’t forget we also had rainy conditions, so you don’t get all the information that you want to have.
“It is just about making sure, because we do not want to go into this saga of floor discussion that we had previously.
“To make a proper decision, you have to have proper information. That is what we want to do.”
Asked if there were doubts about the floor’s performance or if it was tailored for a specific speed range, Krack explained: “I don’t have any doubt in it – I think it is giving us what we expect.
He then revealed: “We have the new wind tunnel, obviously, for a couple of months now running.
“The developments have really brought or behaved the way we have expected them to behave, which is very encouraging.
“It is about getting more data, accumulating data to reinforce the picture and make the right choices.”
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