The Aston Martin team looked back on a disappointing opening test week in Bahrain. Expectations around Adrian Newey’s AMR26 were high. With the radical design combined with the new Honda power unit, the team should have been able to mix in the fight for the championship. After three demanding days in Sakhir, however, engineer and former team boss Mike Krack admits Aston Martin is not yet performing at the level required.
Drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll went into the new season very hopeful. With Adrian Newey in charge and Honda’s championship‑calibre engineers responsible for the new power unit, Aston Martin appeared on paper to be complete. Yet after Bahrain both drivers had to acknowledge the team still lags well behind the competition. Alonso — who has long yearned for one last title fight — sighed that the team is once again starting the season with a deficit.
‘Lots of work to do’
Mike Krack joins the Spaniard and admits that Aston Martin is still trailing for now. He nevertheless sees potential in the AMR26 and stresses the team simply needs time to hit its stride. “The most important thing we learned this week is that there is still a lot of work to do,” the engineer said. “The car is new, the package is new, our partners are new – everything has to be integrated. There is still a lot to do and after this week it became even clearer that we are behind some other teams. But I think the car has enough potential; we just have to work hard to unlock it.”
The AMR26 was in development for so long that the first shakedown in Barcelona actually came too early for Aston Martin. The limited test time in Spain may explain part of the British team’s current deficit. “It was important that we went out on track,” Krack said. “But in Barcelona the car wasn’t fully developed. The test came early, so we uncovered a lot of small issues that still needed fixing. That simply takes time.” The Luxembourger nonetheless expects progress. “I’m convinced we can make big steps. Once we get moving we can analyse the car better, expose the weaknesses and target improvements. We have little time, but with a clear list of fixes we’ll be in a better position next week.”
