Fernando Alonso of the Aston Martin F1 Team participated in the Japanese Grand Prix on April 7, 2024, as part of the Formula 1 World Championship. Aston Martin’s Formula 1 boss, Mike Krack, believes that the team has made significant improvements in their performance since the previous round.
At the start of the previous season, Aston Martin was the closest competitor to Red Bull. However, their performance declined over time, and they ended up in fifth place in the Constructors’ standings. This season, Aston Martin has taken a more aggressive approach to development, and Krack is confident that they are now in a more competitive position.
While Alonso feels that he exceeded the potential of the AMR24 car to secure fifth place at Suzuka, Krack believes that Aston Martin is no longer in a disadvantaged position. He mentioned that the race in Japan demonstrated that it is possible to overtake in unexpected places, although he was not aware that it could be done through the Esses. Krack also highlighted that Aston Martin was ahead of Mercedes, which is a positive sign. However, he acknowledged that this is just one race and that they need to confirm their performance in the upcoming races.
Lance Stroll, Alonso’s teammate, struggled throughout the weekend and ended up being eliminated in Q1 and finishing seven places behind Alonso. Krack emphasized that it is too early to draw conclusions from the team’s progress after just one round with the new upgrades. They are currently analyzing the data and trying to understand the impact of the changes they made. Krack mentioned that cars are complex, and it takes time to fully comprehend the effects of modifications. Additionally, the lost session on Friday (FP2) made it more challenging for the team. They are still gathering all the numbers to determine how much progress they have made and what their next steps should be.