Mike Krack, Aston Martin F1 track boss: “It’s not as easy as saying that in every corner the problem is with the chassis or the engine. Sometimes both factors overlap”

“It is not something that worries us. Obviously, we have to attend to the media every day, and we cannot tell everything. We know what we must improve, we are very clear about it. We are all united and I think good things are coming for the future. As I said, the first thing is to understand the problems.” This is how Fernando Alonso was clear in Austin when he was asked about the engine problems that affected him so much in Singapore.

The Asturian hinted that better things are being cooked at the Aston Martin factory for 2027, as Lance also said Stroll in Austin, who went so far as to point out that what is happening at the Silverstone headquarters “is fantastic.”

“Are we where we want to be? No, but this year we have taken giant steps, without a doubt, in the right direction. We have more great ideas in the works for the future and I think it’s great to see everything that’s happening at the factory. I think the future looks exciting. I still firmly believe in it. We have a great future ahead of us as a team, and we just have to keep moving forward,” said Stroll, Alonso’s teammate.

But returning to Fernando, andThe Ovetense made it clear that they could not reveal everything that was happening behind the scenes and that they have detected all the problems that they must solve.

“The problems are identified, as are the areas for improvement. Another question is whether we can reveal all the details or not. The fundamental thing is to make sure that we are all aware of the situation, both in terms of the chassis and the engine. We need to improve in all aspects. We have to be faster both in the corners and on the straights. That is Formula 1. that is what we see in the GPS data. If we compare ourselves with the fastest cars, we must improve in all areas and that is what we are working on,” commented Alonso at a press conference.

A “difficult to classify” chassis

Honda must work to greatly improve the power of its combustion enginevery far from the rest of the motorcyclists and which currently hinders the car on all the straights of the championship. But also regarding drivabilityalong with Aston Martin, and as for management and delivery of electrical energy through the software. But at the same time, the team will also have to improve on the chassis side that in some races It left a very good feeling, although it did not perform as well as expected in others, such as in Singapore.

At that point, doubts arise, and carrying out a detailed analysis of how the car has performed on each track becomes more difficult due to the current engine.

“The car has had ups and downs. There is also set-up work that we must do and understand. There have been weekends in which the performance of the chassis, or the time losses in corners have been acceptable and reasonable. For example, in Malaysia, Budapest or Zandvoort. On other circuits with similar characteristics, we were not competitive. We are analyzing the reasons. I think there is also work to be done on the track side,” Fernando Alonso commented on the one hand.

“The chassis is difficult to classify. At some circuits, I think it has been at the head of the middle of the grid. ANDIn other races, his performance has been average within that group and has not stood out particularly. In SingaporeFor example, the engine did not respond very well when exiting corners, but the chassis did not shine exceptionally either when cornering. The same thing happened to us the previous week in Malaysia. It is an aspect that we must work on,” Fernando added.

In that sense, important is the response that Mike Krack gave at a press conference about how difficult it is to draw conclusions regarding the car’s adjustments.

“In Sepang we achieved more than we expected and in Singapore, less. We have to understand why. I think Orihara (Honda track manager) has already mentioned drivability. You cannot get such a clear picture through simulations. For example, it is difficult to know how much time you can lose if there is turbo lag or if what he mentioned about the interruption (of power delivery) occurs at a certain moment and how it affects drivability. This goes beyond simple simulations,” argued the manager. Aston Martin track track.

“After a weekend like this, it’s important to regroup and try to understand what happened, where we lost time, draw the right conclusions and manage expectations a little better,” Mike said.

“Chassis or engine? Everything is related. Sometimes you think you have a car balance problem, but then you realize that it comes from the power unit (engine). Other times you analyze the power unit, check that it works correctly and identify a real balance problem,” explained the Luxembourger.

“The first thing is always to check these issues. It is not as simple as saying that in all corners the problem is in the chassis or that in all corners it is in the power unit, and vice versa.. sometimes there is overlaps between both factors. The two drivers (Alonso and Stroll) operate the accelerator and brake in slightly different ways. It is a somewhat complex analysis. It takes a lot of time to analyze it correctly and avoid reaching wrong conclusions,” concluded Krack.