After spending the first week of 2026 F1 testing in Bahrain with deficits, Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack explained what their priorities are and how behind the scenes looks like at the garage.
A reliable car is a priority for Krack and Aston Martin
The 2026 Formula 1 season came with fundamental regulation changes all teams need to adapt hastily. Besides the transformation the sport is facing, Aston Martin also went through some substantial internal changes. Thus, the team’s work on adaptation doubled. Unfortunately, the Silverstone band is battling with numerous problems at the pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Nevertheless, Krack takes a realistic stance and sees the setbacks as natural. He mentions that once they hit the track, nothing goes exactly like the plan most of the time. He posits patience and will to keep pushing as keys to achieving progress. Their main priority is building a reliable car for the new season.
“There is always a lot of different points. First of all, you need to have a reliable car that can accumulate the laps. With these new rules, every lap you learn. You have all your simulations, but then when you hit the track with this complex set of rules, you also learn the racing realities, what does the driver want, what are driver issues you did maybe not anticipate.
“There is a lot of things that you need to learn. You can only learn them if you do laps. So that is the first main thing to do. Accumulate the laps, finish your test programmes the way you have planned them. Then I think you can make progress. But you need to have patience.
“You will have setbacks always. That is the reality of this sport. But I think at the end of the day, if you persist, you work hard, you solve problems as they appear, you try to anticipate some, you will be better at it.“
Sustaining energy is decisive
Krack once again emphasises the importance of practicing in learning the energy issue all teams are battling. Preserving and regulating the car’s energy has become a critical area in performance.
“I agree. I mean, everything is about energy without going too much into engineering. I think it is an energy formula at the moment. You must use as best as possible the energy you have. Not waste anything. I think every team is learning a lot on how to preserve energy, how to use the maximum of it and not to waste it.
“So I think the learning curve is the same for all. It is a very steep fall. But for learning, you have to be a real practicer.“
Drivers are everything
Lance Stroll expressed his frustration with the car in an interview last week saying that the car could be “four seconds off the top team.” Acknowledging Stroll’s opinions on the car, Krack mentioned how much the team is currently working to cater the wants of their drivers.
“Well, the drivers are everything. The drivers are the most important bit in all this. So we need to take it serious, like they say. We need to listen to their issues and just not ignore them. Because there is still a human factor with all the engineering, with all the energy that we discussed. And that is still the most important factor.
“So I understand his frustrations. I understand that he would like to be on track. He would like to be first in the standings. That was not the case. So it is up to us to provide the tools to do that.“
Timeline is hard to promise but a progress is a guarantee
One of the important changes the Silverstone outfit went through is its partnership with Honda. Despite the difficulties they are currently facing with the engine, Krack is optimistic about this collaboration. Though he can not promise a timeline where their progress will become clear to the fans, he guarantees it by working hard collaboratively.
“This is a formula where all the parties need to work very well together. I think the better you integrate, the quicker you can make progress. We are in a situation where we have a new partner that we have to learn how to work with. But we have made very good steps already. We speak the same language and have the same objective.
“The timeline is always something that is difficult to say. I think we are taking it step by step at the moment. As I said before, we first need to keep the wheels turning before we think about anything else. Then it’s about working through the problems that we agree together, the development plan that we have together, and working together.
“A partnership or a package that we have, you need to develop it. It’s not something that you turn the knob and it works. There are humans involved, there are different cultures, there are different philosophies.
“But I think we are on a very good level. We share our issues, we share our priorities. There is no green magic in Formula 1. You really have to work hard and work control.”
