Mike Krack revealed it was at the 2023 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix where he knew Aston Martin had produced a competitive Formula 1 car.
Krack, who succeeded Otmar Szafnauer in 2022, is currently presiding over an upturn in fortunes at Aston Martin, with the team’s lead driver Fernando Alonso picking up five podiums after seven races.
“We knew when we had the first laps, this car was a step forward,” said Krack to members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Because you have your data, the drivers give you feedback.
“Then you go to the test, we had [an] issue with Lance, who couldn’t drive, so you [have] little doubts. It [was] only in race one where we realised the car was competitive.
“That was nice, but you [also] think is it competitive [elsewhere]. I said, ‘let’s wait three-four races to see where we are’. Now [we’ve] had more than four [races], we can confirm the car is competitive.”
Krack: Aston Martin are not gamblers
Despite Aston Martin enjoying their best start to a season since 1999 when they were known as Jordan, victory has eluded them as Red Bull continues to dominate, winning every race so far this season.
Monaco saw Aston Martin come agonisingly close to ending Red Bull’s 100% win record after Alonso narrowly missed out on pole to Max Verstappen before a bold tyre strategy failed to bear fruit in the race consigning him behind Verstappen.
“If aggressive [strategies] means gambling, then the answer is no,” said Krack. “We are not gamblers. We are a data-driven team, we look at all the information we have.
“We have to be there at each opportunity that is coming, and, if it comes, we have to be ready, and until then, we have to work hard to keep ourselves in the position to be there. I will not predict when we will win a race.”
