F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Aston focused on going ‘flat out’ in Abu Dhabi, not on McLaren

Aston Martin says it’s focused on going “flat out” and performing to the best of its ability in Abu Dhabi, not on overhauling F1 rival McLaren for fourth place in the championship.

Team Silverstone’s remarkable start to its 2023 campaign positioned it second in the Constructors’ standings behind Red Bull up until the summer.

Thereafter, Aston’s underperformance relative to its rivals progressively pushed the team lower in the pecking order, while McLaren gathered momentum.

Eventually, the Woking-based outfit was able to reel in and overtake its rival, and even build itself a small advantage thanks to its strong results in the back half of the season.

Read also:

Krack: Extra set of hard tyres key to Stroll’s Vegas charge

But last weekend in Las Vegas, Aston outscored McLaren by 10 points thanks in large point to Lance Stroll’s spirited drive to P5, which allowed the team to practically slice in half its deficit to its closest rival ahead of next weekend’s final round of racing of the year.

Aston team principal Mike Krack says his outfit won’t spend its time following McLaren’s every move, but will simply do its best on its own, and hope that its efforts yield as many point as possible.

©AstonMartin

“For me, it doesn't change anything, compared to two or three races ago,” Krack said. “We can only influence what we do ourselves.

“The first bit is we have to have a fast car in Abu Dhabi, because we are behind. So it's something that we are not on the defence, we have to go flat out, and then we see.

“We have to do the best possible, and then we see what is the result.”

Aston’s pace of late is a marked improvement over its previous period of subdued performance, during which the team experimented with various aero elements developed for 2024.

©AstonMartin

Krack denied however that the team had lost its way during that time.

“We were not lost before,” he said. “I think it will be maybe arrogant to say we are on top of everything.

“I said it many times, the cars are very complex. I think there is a lot to learn still for us. So I will not say that we are on top of everything. But we have learned a lot this year.”

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Sebastian Montoya steps up to Formula 2 with Prema

Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set…

11 hours ago

Sauber finds its ‘Northern Star’ under Binotto’s leadership

When former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took on the role of Chief Operating Officer…

12 hours ago

Leclerc hails a season ‘without missed opportunities' in 2024

Charles Leclerc concluded the 2024 F1 season with a sense of satisfaction, the Ferrari driver…

14 hours ago

Coulthard sounds alarm over FIA president’s rift with F1 drivers

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has voiced his dismay at FIA president Mohammed Ben…

16 hours ago

The rapid rise and fall of Super Aguri in F1

Super Aguri's application to join Formula 1 became a reality on this day in 2005,…

17 hours ago

Ferrari's 2024 Season: Marked improvement and a fight to the finish

Ferrari roared back into contention in 2024 to deliver their strongest season in years, thanks…

18 hours ago