Why Aston Martin wants to take more inspiration from Red Bull ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 season and where Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s team needs to improve
Technical reliability alone is no longer enough in modern Formula 1, says Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack. “Today, practically every team has a reliable car and is also very solid when it comes to using the vehicles. So performance has to make the difference. And as a team, you have to focus on the areas in which you generate performance. “
For Aston Martin, after the 2023 Formula 1 season and fifth place in the constructors’ championship, this means “making the key departments even better and even more efficient,” explains Krack.
Costly production errors at Aston Martin
Because in 2023, Aston Martin sometimes tripped over itself: Technical faults with the exhaust in Jeddah and the rear wing in Suzuka caused unnecessary trouble. “But these things happen if you want to be at the front as a team,” says Tom McCullough, Head of Performance at Aston Martin.
He emphasizes that these were “production errors” over which the team had no influence on site at the race track. “Because the weekends themselves were implemented well,” he says. “We were already well known for that in the past.”
“But now we also have to design and develop a car with which we can fight at the front. And that requires perfect weekends, every week. “
What Aston Martin can learn from Red Bull
“The big role model is Red Bull,” says McCullough. “In terms of reliability and commitment, this team didn’t miss out on much in 2023. That’s the standard we have to reach too.”
At Aston Martin, however, there is “not one construction site” in the team, “but we have many areas where we need to improve, sometimes just a little bit,” explains McCullough. “Because we know that: If we put a good car in front of our drivers, then they will achieve good results. So that has to be the focus.”
In the second instance, the racing team is called upon, says Team Principal Krack: “We simply have to be one hundred percent on the spot in every session, throughout the year. If we don’t manage that, then we won’t get the maximum out of our performance. So we have to make sure that we are on our toes here. That has to be right. But we didn’t manage that a few times in 2023. “