Aston Martin has confirmed it will continue experimenting with its 2023 Formula 1 car during this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the subsequent one-day test.
In a bid to reverse the plight that has seen it drop from second to fifth in the standings, Aston Martin introduced a sizeable upgrade package in the United States last month.
However, the Silverstone squad encountered trouble with dialling in its updates on a Sprint weekend, resulting in a double Q1 exit in qualifying for the only time this season.
That prompted the team to withdraw both cars from parc ferme restrictions, reverting Fernando Alonso to an older specification of the AMR23 to run cross-comparison tests.
After running further evaluations in Mexico, Aston Martin proceeded to assemble a selection of parts from both specs in Brazil, contributing to Alonso’s return to the podium.
Asked if the side had any more trials planned during F1’s latest visit Yas Marina Circuit, Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack said: “Yes. It’s not completely final yet.”
Despite Lance Stroll recovering from a torrid run of form to record successive fifth-place finishes, Krack asserts that Aston Martin isn’t on top of its recent problems yet.
“We were not lost before,” Krack contended regarding Aston Martin’s mid-season slump.
“I think it would be arrogant to say we are on top of everything. I said many times the cars are very complex and I think there is a lot to learn still from us. I will not say that we are on top of everything, but we have learned a lot from this year.”
He added: “Everything that you learned, you have to take into the new car.”
Stroll’s charge from 19th to fifth and Alonso’s recovery to ninth in Vegas saw Aston Martin reduce its deficit to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship to 11 points.
Asked if Aston Martin will alter its strategy in the fight against McLaren, Krack issued: “Well, for me, it doesn’t change anything compared to two or three races ago.
“We can only [have] an influence on what we do ourselves. And the first bit is, you know, we have to have a fast car in Abu Dhabi because we are behind. So, you know, we are not on the defence, you know. We have to go flat out and then we see.
“We have to do the best possible and then we will see what is going on.”
Aston Martin’s 2023 challenger has typically performed stronger over a race distance than a single flying lap, something Stroll again alluded to after the Vegas weekend.
But Krack disagreed that the results of the most recent qualifying session – where Alonso and Stroll ended up 14th and 10th respectively – provided evidence the British marque must address its one-lap pace.
“I think the qualifying was a little bit of a mystery for many,” he contended. “It was all about you know having the tyres in the right window at the right moment. Because you had the track improvement. Then you had the cold temperatures. And you had the timing and the traffic to manage. So you know was it better to take a tow? Was it better to have a bit more gap and have all your load and have the tyres ready?
“Some got caught out, I think the McLaren was much faster than the qualifying position was showing. So I think yesterday was not really a true reflection of the pace of the car. I think it’s more today [Sunday].”
