Aston Martin Boss Admits Defeat in Developmental Race as a Technical Reset Is on the Cards

Aston Martin had emerged as the dark horses of the 2023 season, as their early form suggested them to be the closest competitors to Red Bull. However, as the season progressed, they lost their edge and finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship. The team then started the 2024 season where they left off in 2023.

Although the team continues to be the fifth-fastest at the halfway point of the 2024 campaign, their performances have significantly worsened compared to last year. The same is evident if one looks at the points gap.

Aston Martin are a whopping 193 points behind fourth-placed Mercedes and just have a 39-point advantage over sixth-placed V-CARB. In stark contrast, Aston Martin were just 22 points shy of finishing fourth in last year’s Constructors’ Championship.

Since their performances have worsened, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has also admitted that the same is a result of his side being out-developed by their rivals. Motorsport.com quoted Krack as saying,

“[When] we started to develop the car, it just went in the wrong direction. We did not manage to add performance with the update [at Imola] and the competition did. If you do not move forward, you get passed, and I think that’s a fair summary of the first half.”

Expanding on these comments, Krack also revealed that the team will go through a mental and technical “reset” after the summer break. However, he emphasized that the main thing is to manage expectations.

He explained, “Again, it’s about managing expectations. A turnaround in such an intense season is not something that you do in five minutes. And that is something that we all need to be aware of and be confident that the change of approach that we have taken now will bring the performance that we want to bring.”

Aston Martin needs to get its act together before Honda’s arrival in 2026

With Honda’s arrival in 2026, Aston Martin will inherit a power unit supplier who have been the benchmark for the rest of the grid in the more recent years of the turbo-hybrid era. However, a good engine can only get you so far – something that the team will be acutely aware of.

That being said, Aston Martin need not worry too much about getting their aerodynamic act together. There have been several reports coming out that suggest that Aston Martin have secured the signing of F1 design guru Adrian Newey, with an announcement expected to be made very soon.