Mike Krack has explained why Aston Martin is the team most likely to break free from the midfield and challenge the front-runners.
Despite the obvious ambition and significant investment in the squad, there has been a sense of underachievement at Aston Martin in recent seasons.
Fernando Alonso’s arrival might be indicative of their aspirations in F1, but the Silverstone-based squad is yet to prove they are capable of disrupting the established order at the front.
The 2023 season serves as a crucial opportunity to achieve this, with Technical Director Dan Fallows promising an aggressive design with significant changes for this year’s AMR23.
As quoted by as.com, team principal Mike Krack has explained why Aston Martin has a better chance of climbing the field than other teams in the midfield:
“Because we take it more seriously. Our ambitions are believable. Nobody on the grid has made the investment to achieve it [winning races].
“There are teams who say they can, that in three years they will be winning, that in one hundred races they will be winning. But what are they doing to win?
“With the factory, the wind tunnel, the new simulators – we are serious. And there is a huge investment behind us.
“That is why Alonso signed with us so quickly, so much that we didn’t need to convince him – he already knew. He has contacts in different places.
“We are believable. We aren’t just talking; we are acting.”
These are strong statements from Mike Krack, consistent with the comments of other senior figures at Aston Martin over the winter break.
Although there is nothing inherently wrong with a team having confidence, Aston Martin must be careful to manage expectations ahead of 2023.
It is worth noting that Mike Krack has previously set a more modest target of fourth place for 2023. Still, this fighting talk about Aston’s potential will only intensify the scrutiny on the team.
The nature of Formula 1 means that everyone is constantly under the spotlight anyway, but it remains to be seen if they will deliver under this pressure.
It will take a few years before Aston Martin’s new factory complex and wind tunnel come online, so in the meantime, they must demonstrate innovation and make use of their current facilities.
There seems to be a healthy scepticism surrounding the likelihood of a midfield team making the necessary jump to fight at the front in 2023.
It is up to the likes of Aston Martin – this year and beyond – to prove that the podium spots are not just reserved for three teams.
