Aston Martin is facing a series of problems: "We haven't been able to get the wheels turning as much as we wanted."

Already struggling during the first test session of Formula 1 in Bahrain, Aston Martin He only completed 203 laps in three days, the lowest total in the paddock. Returning to the Sakhir circuit was expected to reignite his momentum, but it didn't.

Fernando Alonso spent much of the first day's morning in the garage due to a power unit issue, completing only 28 laps. In the following session, Lance stroll His program was also cut short. An apparent failure of the active aerodynamics sent him into the gravel trap at turn 11 according to his team, further limiting his running.

Speaking to the media, track engineer Mike Krack did not try to downplay the situation. "We need reliability. The wheels need to turn. So far, we haven't been able to get the wheels turning as much as we wanted."He acknowledged this. The conclusion is clear: without kilometers, it's impossible to learn and progress.

Every missed lap weighs heavily in a period where teams must understand profoundly renewed Formula 1 cars. "We learn every round, and for every round where we don't learn anything, or where we miss information, we have to catch up, so it's not a fantastic start."continued the Luxembourg engineer. The context doesn't help. "Everything is new. The partnership with Honda, and we're making our own gearboxes and suspensions, and it's a big undertaking."he explained, hoping that it was only a matter of "Beginner problems".

A delay that is piling up for Aston Martin

The problem is that these adjustments are happening within an already tight schedule. The AMR26 only took to the track at the very end of the Barcelona shakedown in January, and Lance Stroll retired after just four laps. Since then, a similar pattern has repeated itself: various issues prevent the team from completing consecutive stints.

Mike Krack talks about "Lots of little problems... in all areas of the car"making it difficult to identify a single cause. "It's difficult to isolate a single area. It would be easiest because if we only have one problem to solve, we can put all our efforts into it."he admitted. New electronic systems, new technical partners, unprecedented transmission: the whole thing creates additional complexity.

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The track manager also acknowledges a certain delay in preparation, which "has put us in a slightly more complex situation regarding reliability.". By "Three times fewer laps than some of our competitors"The data gap is becoming a concern. Now all that remains is to react quickly. "They're not going to wait for us.""That's it," concluded Mike Krack. On a tight grid, Aston Martin doesn't have much time left to get its wheels spinning as it sees fit, and to prevent these winter tests from already leaving their mark on the start of the season.