Aston Martin F1 team principal, Mike Krack was full of praise for his car and his team for the 2023 season, saying it is a “pleasure to work” in the team and labelling the AMR23 as a “substantial improvement” compared to 2022.
Photo Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team
Despite all of the controversy surrounding third place finisher Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP following a penalty confusion and back-and-forth with the FIA, the end result means that Aston Martin has now scored two podiums on the opening two rounds of the season, a marked improvement over its 2022 woes.
And whilst team principal Mike Krack wants to be “careful” before assuming the team has the second fastest car on the grid now, he believes that the AMR23 is a “substantial improvement” over its predecessor:
“We always said we wanted to wait the first few races to see where we are. I think we need to be careful [in] saying [we are] second [fastest], but I think we can safely say we have made a substantial improvement,” he told print media after the race in Jeddah.
Krack said the team managed the expectations heading to Jeddah despite the incredible start in Bahrain, considering the major differences between the two circuits, believing the high-speed demands of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit would favour the AMR23 less than the more all-round Sakhir circuit – which is also notorious for high tyre degradation, unlike Saudi:
“We were cautious in expectations, let’s put it like that,” said Krack. “Because you look [at] what is different here [compared] to Bahrain, and we felt that we were maybe a bit less competitive in the high-speed sections in Bahrain than in the other sections.
“But obviously there was a lot of [tyre] saving going on in Bahrain, so you do not really know. And it was this not-knowing that made us be cautious on what we [were] going to say.
“And the second [reason] was the straight-line performance. So basically the two things we thought we were not the greatest in Bahrain are the ones that are dominant [in Jeddah]. It made us be cautious.”
However, after seeing the race in Saudi Arabia unfold, Krack was more confident in saying that the second race of the season validated the car’s improvement and potential, but warned it’s still too early to make such broad conclusions.
“I think yes, I think this weekend confirmed it,” he said. “[But] we need to be careful with such conclusions. We have two data samples, from two completely different tracks. And in these two tracks we were competitive, but there are some others.
“And we must also not underestimate it, because it’s a relative game, it could also be that one of the competitors has had issues that we are not aware of, and that could remix the order. So, I think we need to wait and see.”
Krack says the energy within the Aston Martin camp is “incredible” and even joked about having to push the employees out of office at the end of the workdays, such is their determination to keep working:
“It’s incredible, you cannot believe it if you do not live it.” he said. “There is a huge momentum, a huge energy in the team.
“I’m looking forward to going to work [on the Monday after the race], because again everybody is just flat out, flat out, you have to push the team out to go home, to see their families, at times.
“All weekend we had at mission control, in the office, people that were just looking at stuff, analysing, trying to improve. It’s really a pleasure to work in the team.”
