Krack admits Aston Martin 'expected more' in 2024 as he sets out team's future plans

Aston Martin boss Mike Krack has acknowledged that the squad had “expected more” from their 2024 season, with the British outfit finding themselves some distance from the leading four teams, though he also remains confident that they are on the “right path”.

The 2023 campaign kicked off in memorable style for Aston Martin, as Fernando Alonso scored six podiums in the first eight rounds. However, their progress faltered as the season developed and they ultimately ended the year in fifth place.

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Entering into 2024, the margin to the leading four teams looked to have widened. There have been no rostrums so far for the squad, with Alonso’s fifth place in Saudi Arabia being their best result to date.

As such, Krack has admitted that Aston Martin will not be satisfied until they have moved closer to the front of the pack.

"If I'm honest with myself, and I think we should all be honest with ourselves: we expected more,” the Team Principal told Aston Martin’s UNDERCUT. “We knew we had a bit of a gap to the cars in front, and how difficult it is to close that gap. We haven't managed it yet, and until we do, we cannot be happy."

In a bid to move forwards, the team brought a significant upgrade package to the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Reflecting on the effectiveness of this, Krack commented: "The updates that we fitted in Hungary are working. It's not just a case of this making the car faster for the rest of this season, it's also having the knowledge that we understand our platform and know how to develop it.”

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Asked if the possibility of being ‘lost’ had ever played on his mind, he continued: “It certainly plays on your mind because our update prior to Hungary didn't deliver as much as we expected, but because these latest updates do work, I have the confidence to say we are going in the right direction. We've taken a new approach with the car and are making progress now.

"From an engineering point of view, I can see the light. I have trust in our engineering, in our performance development, in our aerodynamic development. We're on the right path, and we'll have a better second half of the season. I'm not normally that bold with pronouncements but we know what we have."

Looking ahead to the second half of 2024, Krack has stated that Aston Martin are set to bring further upgrades to the car, as well as using their continued work on the AMR24 to prepare for the 2025 campaign.

"There are more updates planned on the AMR24 in the second half of the season before everything moves to our 2025 car,” Krack explained.

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"We need to be realistic, considering the gaps to the front and the gaps behind. We’re not giving up on 2024, but 2025 will soon come into focus.

“Work on this year's car is very important though because it's this that gives us direction for next year. There's a lot of carry-over with stable regulations, and whatever we learn now, we take into 2025."