Heading into the 2026 F1 Monaco GP, Aston Martin‘s Chief Trackside Officer, Mike Krack, shared details on Fernando Alonso’s seat adjustments and the team’s expectations for the weekend.
Aston Martin has had a rough start to the 2026 F1 season, currently sitting last in the Teams’ Standings with zero points. While some progress in adjusting to the new regulations and the new Honda engine has been visible, the team still hasn’t had its breakthrough.
Krack on Alonso’s seat changes
Recently, Fernando Alonso suffered his third DNF of the season at the 2026 F1 Canadian GP due to discomfort with his seat. After his retirement, the Spaniard noted that the seat position didn’t feel right, resulting in a painful problem.
Asked about what changes the team has made to improve Alonso’s comfort in the seat, Krack said work began earlier in the week.
“Honestly, so we were here from Tuesday morning with Fernando, because he lives around the corner here, so a lot of work went into it on Tuesday with a lot of variations. Now, the driving is the real test. You know, you sit statically, it’s not always the same, but I think we made a small step in the right direction. He was mildly confident that this is going to be an improvement, but I would not be surprised if we have to do one or the other tweak over the sessions to get him really comfortable.”
Krack further shared that they couldn’t make the changes without affecting other aspects:
“No, you cannot just change one thing, because then you need to change the pedals, you need to check the regulation height and all these kind of things, the steering wheel distance. So it’s never one single thing. So it’s a complete set of changes, and that makes it a bit complicated if you have not ridden.”
When asked about whether Alonso will be sitting higher now, Krack concluded on the matter by jokingly saying, “Can’t be much lower.”
Analysing car setup
Speaking about car performance, Krack explained that different circuits need different strengths and that the car has to be stable and predictable rather than focusing on one thing like traction.
“I think you have to look at it holistically. Every car has strengths and weaknesses in some areas and in some not. You know, you have circuits like Montreal, where they are more important for traction, or here, and you have circuits that are more aerodynamic focused, like Suzuka, for example. So I think, we must not forget, we had a difficult start with not much driving, so we’re still learning on where are the strengths and where are the weaknesses,” he said.
Looking at the unique feature of the Circuit de Monaco, Kack continued: “It is clear that here you need good traction, I think everybody will say that, but also you have a starting setup that is focusing on these kind of areas. Before you do the traction, you have to go around the corner, and before you go around the corner, you have to have the stability and the braking. So it’s not an exercise where you just focus on traction, but it has to be, as I said before, it has to be confidence in the first place and predictability.”
Aston Martin’s goals for the 2026 F1 Monaco GP
Focusing on the 2026 F1 Monaco GP, Krack shared that, given the importance of Qualifying in Monaco, entering Q2 would be the main goal. The Circuit de Monaco has a narrow layout, making overtaking difficult during the race.
However, so far this season, Aston Martin has reached Q2 only once, with Alonso in the 2026 Montreal Sprint Qualifying session.
“I think if we look at it, and I do not want to put unnecessary pressure, we have made progress over the last weeks,” he said. “I think Montreal was the first time in the Sprint that we managed Q2 with one run, so I think there is progress. Now, it depends also a lot on the competition, and you must never underestimate your competition. So the car is essentially not massively different, so I think going into Q2 that would be a success.”
