Fernando Alonso had a dream start to the 2023 F1 season and became a regular face on the podium in the first few races. However, the dream start soon started falling apart as Aston Martin was unable to keep up with their rivals and saw a major dip in performance. Amidst speculations about a possible FIA ban that led to the downfall of Aston Martin, team principal Mike Krack has come forward and apologized to both Alonso and Lance Stroll, as per the official F1 website,
All the 6 podiums of Fernando Alonso this season until now
More to come? pic.twitter.com/2pYmUq3TLg
— Aston Martin F1 updates (@startonpole) August 2, 2023
Aston Martin was arguably one of the top teams in the sport until the Canadian GP, with Alonso claiming six podiums in the opening eight races. However, after Canada, the Silverstone-based outfit lost their footing and the best result they could conjure up in the next four races was a P5 finish.
It has been widely speculated that a secret FIA ban on some of the components of the AMR23 led to their drop in form. When asked about it Mike Krack refused to answer, but added to the rumors in the process. However, he recently showered praises on his drivers for bearing with the team even under difficult circumstances.
Apologies to Fernando Alonso from his team boss
Mike Krack spoke to the media in Belgium regarding their development and about his drivers. He explained that both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are very direct with their feedback and that has helped the team tremendously so far. Usually, both of their drivers also end up having the same view on the developmental direction the car should take, which makes work easier for Aston Martin.
Krack thanked the drivers for being supportive to the team, because according to him, when a team starts slipping down the order, it’s easy for a driver to get frustrated and get destructive. He said, “I’m really sorry for our drivers that we have not maybe managed to keep up there but, rest assured, we will try everything to come back.”
First half of the 2023 season 📸. Magic . @AstonMartinF1 @F1 pic.twitter.com/9sKvGQTYf9
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) August 1, 2023
Krack is also quite confident about the fact that the team has already identified the areas where they are lacking. The next step is to find a solution and he is sure that they will manage to do it pretty soon. The 51-year-old is convinced that a comeback is on the cards.
The upgrades that downgraded Aston Martin
Krack also spoke about the motivation levels in the team currently. He explained that they have already experienced what it feels like to finish in the top three on a regular basis, therefore they are immensely hungry for more. He added, “We do not need to see the competitors to see the motivation.”
Aston Martin had spent the last few weeks figuring out why Montreal’s big upgrade didn’t have the impact it expected. You’ve improved in the areas you wanted to improve, but your strengths have turned into weaknesses. #AMuS
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) August 3, 2023
As for the sudden slump faced by the team, the upgrades in Canada are partly responsible for the downgrade. After bringing in a tweaked sidepod and floor, Aston Martin had a brilliant weekend in Montreal, which led the team to think that the upgrades worked.
However, the reality was different because it was just the nature of the track that helped the team, and not the upgrades. Therefore, the team had to fix certain things back before the Belgian GP and the car has already started feeling better according to Alonso. The team will hope that their new upgrades work better so they can fight at the front once again after the summer break.
