Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack says the outfit’s double points finish in the Canadian Grand Prix is a “step in the right direction” but it does not imply that it now has a firm grip on its AMR24’s issues.
Montreal was a turnaround of sorts for Team Silverstone, with the outfit putting both its cars in Q3 on Saturday for the first time this season and Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll concluding race day respectively P6 and P7.
But while outscoring Visa Cash App RB by 10 points in Montreal solidified Aston’s hold on fifth place in the Constructors' championship, Krack wasn’t ready on Sunday evening to declare victory over its car’s balance woes.
The Aston martin team boss fears that upcoming European races, particularly high-downforce venues like Barcelona and Red Bull Ring, will expose the AMR24's handling characteristics in a much harsher light.
“It would be premature to say we have understood everything," commented Krack after last weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
"I think we have a lot of work to do still. But obviously, it was a step in the right direction this weekend.
"There are different and difficult circuits coming up, so we need to sit down and see what is the best possible package for the races to come, because they will be very intense."
©AstonMartin
Stroll, who achieved in Montreal his best results since Melbourne, attributed Aston’s strong showing in his home race to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s specific layout which mitigated the AMR24’s weaknesses.
"The track definitely suited our car" he said. "We're quick in a straight line, not so much downforce, efficient, good DRS switch, all these things, which is good for Canada.
"The car is still maybe going to be more difficult come Barcelona and Budapest and these kind of long corners."
"We capitalised on a weekend where the car was pretty strong all weekend. And we'll see in Barcelona, a very different kind of track, what we can do there. I think we are [solving our issues] but it's not an overnight change."
Alonso echoed his teammate’s view but hinted at upcoming upgrades in Spain that could potentially further improve Aston’s performance.
"On paper, we were happier with Montreal than Barcelona, we think that this track was going to be better for us but let's see if we have a nice surprise," said the two-time F1 world champion.
"I know the team is also working very hard to bring some new things for Barcelona, so it's going to be a very interesting weekend. Let's see if we can score points again with both cars, which obviously is the thing that we are looking at at the moment.
"The last few months were very productive for us in terms of understanding the cars so I'm very confident."
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