Aston Martin Under Huge Pressure To Perform - 'Situation We Would Not Like To Be In'

Saajan Jogia | Aug 5, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll (18) races into turn three during F1 practice at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Aston Martin's underperformance in the 2024 season so far has created huge pressure on the team to act fast, particularly after the anticipated upgrades at Imola failed to restore competitiveness. Team principal Mike Krack has acknowledged the urgent need to enhance the AMR24 F1 car's performance and emphasized that team owner Lawrence Stroll comprehends the difficulties and the time required to make meaningful improvements.

The upgrade package introduced at Imola, which featured a new front wing, floor, and rear aero components, did not yield the expected improvements for Aston Martin. Despite subsequent modifications aimed at regaining lost performance, the team remains fifth in the Constructors' Championship standings, with their best result being a fifth-place finish.

This season, the team has struggled to replicate the impressive gains made during the 2022-2023 off-season. In that period, they surged from a seventh-place finish in the 2022 Constructors' Championship to securing six podiums in the first eight races of the following season. In the last five races of the current season, Aston Martin has gained only 15 points, as opposed to the 39 points scored in the five races preceding the Grand Prix at Imola.

Krack disclosed that the upgrades at Imola intensified the pressure when it became clear they were ineffective. He stressed the importance of a strategic plan and patience to improve Aston Martin's position on the grid. Despite Lawrence Stroll's supportive stance, Krack acknowledged that the immense pressure on the team remains a significant challenge.

With the external perception being that the team has gone backward, Krack was asked how Stroll looked at the situation within the team this season. He told Motorsport.com:

“Well, I think there are two aspects.

“One is: what progress do you make compared to the competition over the years? Where you have ambitious targets and you try to manage them.

"That is something that I think you have a discussion [about] and you have a plan in place and you know that you cannot go from seventh to first. It's not possible.

“You need, ‘this and this and this’. You have seen some of what we need in the future. That is one point and I think there is a certain amount of reality or realism and also patience.

“But then when you go and you zoom in and you bring upgrades and they are not delivering the performance that they should, then the pressure is increasing and rightly so.

“I think the perception from outside is not wrong or erroneous. The perception inside is huge pressure because [the Imola upgrade] doesn't deliver what you were expected to deliver and trying to solve this as quick as possible [is now the aim] and in that point, I understand also that there is less patience.

“Now, Lawrence has been in this business for long. He is very knowledgeable of how Formula 1 works, he knows also that if you have something that didn't work until you have something better, it takes time – to make new parts, to make this to make that. So, I think it's a mix between the two. It is a situation that we would not like to be in.

“We started the season in fifth, wanted to get closer, had a plan to get closer to the top cars, and have not delivered that.”