Aston Martin, 2nd force in the field? “You have to be careful,” replies Mike Krack

The grass is much greener than elsewhere Aston Martin who, since the start of the season, has continued to impress. With a Fernando Alonso subscribed to the podiums in the last two Grands Prix, the Silverstone garage finds itself perfectly tied with Mercedes for second place in the Manufacturers' championship. Crowned with success on two tracks with different characteristics, the AMR23 seems the only one, for the moment, to be able to bridge the gap which separates the grid from the drivers Red Bull. From there to hope for victories in the race for one of the two championships? “ We have two datasets from two completely different circuits. On both routes we were competitive, but there are others to come » shade Mike Krack, team principal of the Lawrence stable Stroll. And over a season of 23 rounds, the longest in the history of the Formula 1, the hierarchy may be reversed several times during the 2023 campaign. With the new regulations in the premier category entering their second year and the wind tunnel time reduced among the leading teams, Krack is tempering the enthusiasm around the performance of the Greens: “ We don't want to underestimate anyone... One of our competitors could have a problem that we don't know about and that could upset the hierarchy, we have to be careful. »

And to continue: " It doesn’t make sense to say “We are this percentage compared to them, this percentage compared to them”. We have to look at our own car, understand our own weaknesses and work from that. »

A few mechanical issues marred the team's winter testing, and Lance Stroll was already forced to retire in Jeddah, losing power lap after lap. On the other hand, if Red Bull regularly complained about gearbox problems, the latter which even failed to Max Verstappen in qualifying, the Dutchman like his teammate did not suffer a forced stop before the checkered flag. And without being worried, the two drivers can afford not to push their mechanics to their limits and maintain a more than comfortable lead, both on the track and in the championship against Aston Martin. “ We can continue to maintain this gap, but can we reduce it?, asks Krack. We will work hard. Last year, we were able to reduce the gap with cars that were in front of us, but just because we did it last year doesn't mean we can do it again. »

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