After experiencing one of the worst weekends of the 2026 F1 season at Barcelona-Catalunya GP, which prompted an apology to the fans, Aston Martin CTO Mike Krack revealed that the last two races have shown that the team has to improve on all fronts despite “small positives.”
The 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP went from bad, in Qualifying where Stroll and Alonso qualified on the last row, to worse, during Sunday’s race, where both drivers retired with issues. On a circuit, which is usually a good indicator of where the cars stand in the pecking order and often exposes a package’s weak points, Aston Martin was trailing the competition by quite a margin.
Krack takes “small positives” from 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Despite the dire outcome of the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Aston Martin CTO Mike Krack revealed that the team still took some learnings and even found “small positives,” such as Fernando Alonso’s pit stop on Lap 21. While a “very good” pit stop is a step, Aston Martin will have to find performance “in all other areas,” says Krack.
“You always learn new things. As crazy as it might sound, when you are between three and four seconds off, you think you are driving in a different category, but still, you learn a lot.
“Barcelona is very, very difficult for energy. You have seen the FIA was tweaking the energy a couple of times before the event, so it is a difficult circuit for energy. And I think we learned a great deal. How we have to adjust our processes to get the maximum out of it.
“There are some small positives. It is difficult to see them. The single pit stop that we did was very good, in my opinion. And we have to work with this and try to improve in all other areas.”
Krack believes the Barcelona-Catalunya GP showed that Aston Martin has to improve across the board
Whereas in previous rounds the AMR26’s drivability appeared to be the biggest hindrance for Aston Martin, especially on the tight streets of Monaco, the Barcelona-Catalunya GP showed that the package is lacking more than just drivability.
According to Krack, the different demands of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya compared to the Monaco Circuit, and Aston Martin’s struggles on both, show that the team will have to improve across the board.
“I think it is everything. I think we need to improve. If it was only one thing, it would be quite easy.
“I don’t think you heard the problem why Lance he had the problem. It is a clear drivability issue. I don’t think they are solved.
“I think you are correct in saying this track probably exposes them less. But then you have the track character it cannot be more different here actually to Monaco. You have a lot of high speed corners, low-medium speed corners, very few low speed corners. In Monaco it is the opposite.
“In Monaco you struggle to make the tyres work. Here you try to cool the tyres.
“It is really very different. But the fact that we are behind on both circuits shows you that, I think, it is all areas that we have to work on.”
Everyone struggles, but Aston is clearly behind competitors
The introduction of the 2026 F1 regulations saw a decrease in the amount of downforce this new generation of cars can produce compared to the previous regulations cycle. While Aston Martin’s drivability issues were likely difficult to identify during pre-season simulator runs, the lack of downforce could have been identified from the simulator data.
Asked in his print media session whether Aston Martin was surprised by how much they were trailing the competition in that regard, Krack responded that the lack of downforce is a ”general problem” born out of the regulation change.
The CTO added that every team, including 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP winner Lewis Hamilton, faces struggles. However, Krack concedes that competitors have “coped better” than Aston Martin.
“I listened to some radio today, I think it was even Lewis complaining about [the] gearbox and shifting, and these things with the car that won the race.
“I think the general problem is there because of the regulation change. We have less downforce. We have a lot of recuperation.
“We have to rev the engines high. So, you have to go on lower gears and all these kinds of things. I think this is all new. This is something that is the same for everyone.
“But it is also clear that these teams have coped better with it than we do. We have done everything new.”
Honda partnership impacts Aston Martin learning curve
Aston Martin entered the 2026 F1 season with a new engine partner, Honda, which Krack feels impacted the team’s learning curve. On the other hand, their comparatively low performance forces Aston Martin to delve deep into the car’s issues, which Krack sees as a positive.
“We have a new collaboration. So, we are probably a bit behind in all these learnings. But I think if you are on a higher performance level, it is easier to manage the complaints.
“When you have that performance level, everything is exposed, and everything is under scrutiny. Which is good. Because it allows you to look a little bit deeper, maybe than you would have done otherwise.
“Coming back to your point on simulator. It is clear that you see these things like a lighter car or more power. This is easier to simulate than the drivability.”
