The 2024 F1 season concluded with Aston Martin securing points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, providing a bittersweet end to a challenging year — and Team Principal Mike Krack offered a candid assessment of the team’s performance, shedding light on their struggles and plans to rebuild momentum in the coming seasons.
A tough season for Aston Martin, but small victories count
Reflecting on the team’s final race performance in Abu Dhabi, Krack emphasised the significance of scoring points, not just for the standings but for morale.
Fernando Alonso finished P9 at Yas Marina, adding to the points scored a week previously with 7th in Qatar.
“I think [it was] important for the hard work that was put in from many, many people,” he said, acknowledging the team’s relentless effort both at the track and at their Silverstone base.
“These tripleheaders are really tough for these people over there. And the people also that, you know, in Mission Control have to get up at 9 o’clock and this kind of thing. So I think that is a good reward.”
Seeing the bigger picture
However, Krack was clear that this should not obscure the bigger picture. “It should not blind us… we are not fifth anymore for a while already. And there is always a risk. You look at the paper, you say you are finishing fifth, you scored the last two races, everything is fine. It’s something you must not fall far off,” he admitted, cautioning against complacency.
By the season’s end, Aston Martin was solidly in midfield and was at times the eighth faster package as Alpine, Haas and RB all displayed better pace, far from the lofty heights it aspired to.
Nonethless, they finished P5 in the Constructors’ Championship, 29 points ahead of Alpine.
Learning from past mistakes
The struggles they had were not just limited to on-track performance. Internally, the team has grappled with understanding why two consecutive cars underperformed relative to their expectations.
Krack acknowledged that Aston Martin has struggled to develop their cars since the outstanding start to 2023, with the AMR24 particularly difficult to drive.
“Yes, that is something that we are really discussing internally quite a lot.
“The way we have gone, we have done the things. I think there’s no hiding.
“For 18 months, we have not really managed to add completely the upgrade [that] really gave us a substantial improvement in performance, and that is why we have to question the way we do them.
“That is something that we are really discussing quite intensely.”
This, Krack explained, prompted intense internal discussions about their development processes and the tools guiding their decision-making.
Where’s the limit?
A key focus was the AMR24’s narrow operating window. The car’s performance fluctuated wildly depending on conditions, a problem shared across the grid but particularly damaging to the consistency they needed.
Krack described the fine balance required to widen this window for Aston Martin F1.
“The [operating] window is very small. Everybody tries to make the window large, but development means you make it smaller, and you hit a limit and try to make it larger again.”
Eyeing 2025 with humility and focus
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Krack advocated for a cautious and methodical approach, taking lessons from the difficulties they have faced since mid-2023.
“We cannot afford to let 2025 slip. But I think we have now delivered two years in a row, not really the performance we wanted.
“So, I think about 2025, we need to be humble. We need to take a humble approach, try to solve one step after the next issues that we were having this year.
“Because the cars are quite mature now. There is still quite some big differences between the cars.
“But everybody has reached a level of maturity that I think we don’t have. And I think this is something that we really have to catch up,” he said, highlighting the importance of addressing fundamental issues step by step.
The final year of the regulations
With the current regulations entering their final year, performance gains are expected to diminish, and Aston Martin will need to work smarter rather than harder to catch up to the established top-four teams.
Development for 2025 began early, with Aston shifting its focus shortly after introducing its last major update in Austin.
“Basically, we had the Austin parts, and after that, nothing came anymore. So obviously, you start earlier than that because the Austin parts were defined earlier.”
While this year’s car did not see any significant upgrades beyond that point, the team redirected resources to lay the groundwork for next year.
Krack emphasised the need to learn from past mistakes and apply those lessons to build a more competitive package.
