Mike Krack, the team boss at Aston Martin, has openly stated that the team is "far behind the plan" regarding their performance improvements for the 2024 season.
Last year, the Silverstone-based team, which has been rapidly developing in recent years, surprised many with Fernando Alonso achieving several podium finishes.
However, in 2024, Alonso has observed that Aston Martin is no longer in the top five teams in Formula 1, a significant regression from their previous standing.
Despite the challenges, Krack remains optimistic about the team's potential to climb back to the podium this year.
"Yes, I think so," he affirmed when asked about returning to the podium. "I am convinced that we can. The question is when."
Krack acknowledged that Aston Martin has lagged in aerodynamic development compared to its competitors this season.
"Aerodynamic development is the main performance differentiator in F1," he explained. "But it takes time. Many weeks can pass before you have something you have discovered actually get to the car."
He admitted that the upcoming busy race schedule, including the Barcelona-Austria-Silverstone triple header, complicates efforts to make quick adjustments.
"You are constantly rushing to get the parts and it is never fast enough," he mentioned. "So you have to be patient. There's also no point in complaining that other pieces aren't ready yet, as we still have plenty of races ahead of us."
Krack emphasized the need for perspective and patience during this period of scrutiny.
"Last year, around this time, the press said we were well ahead of the plan. Now, we are far behind the plan. But I think last year we were better than we thought, and I have always said that, when you are on an upward trajectory, you can still go up or down, depending on what your rivals are doing. But you always have to keep the goal in sight."
He also commented on the pressure from the media.
"At Imola, the first question from the journalists was 'So the updates are not working?' But sometimes we judge a team's performance too much, just as we also judge the drivers too quickly. So I will be more careful with what I say.
"We have a plan on how to develop the team from an infrastructure point of view, we have partners coming in with Honda, we have a great partner with Aramco, so I think there is no reason to be negative," Krack concluded.
