Aston Martin’s three podiums in the first three races are insufficient for team owner Lawrence Stroll, as told by team principal Mike Krack.
This season, the Aston Martin team has experienced a spike in performance as years of development begin to yield rewards. Last season, the team had 0 points after three races, however this season, they had three podiums after three races, with Fernando Alonso earning all of them.
So far in 2023, Fernando Alonso finished third in all three races. And teammate Lance Stroll has scored well in two of them and would have completed a hat trick of top-10 results if but for an issue with his energy recovery system.
Last year, this was a club that battled to make it into the points at all. With Aston Martin battling Mercedes and Ferrari to be the closest contenders to runaway leaders Red Bull, Stroll’s ambitious expectations of future F1 glory doesn’t seem too far away.
Why is Lawrence Stroll not satisfied?
Nonetheless, team owner Lawrence Stroll is still not content with these achievements. According to team principal Mike Krack, Stroll is urging the squad to achieve the ultimate aim of winning the F1 championship. After Aston Martin claimed their third podium in a row, Krack spoke with the media.
According to Motorsport.com, he said, “The mission is very clear. (Lawrence Stroll) has not been having any delay in telling us, ‘When are we going to win the next one?’ Obviously, he is happy we have made a step, but this is not enough for this ambition.”
“The good thing is, with Lawrence, you know where you stand – he wants more, and we will have to deliver more. This season has started with three circuits with three different characteristics. To be competitive on all three, we are confident we can be on other circuits as well.”
Krack is still confident of more success this season, “Three circuits with three characteristics. To be competitive on all three, we are confident we can be on other circuits as well.”
“These kinds of things will always shift the field a little bit and this can happen when you have such small margins, it can happen. It’s the situation we are in and I’ve said it before, we have to be at maximum at all times, at 100% to get [the most] out of it.”
How well is Aston Martin doing this season?
Currently, Fernando Alonso has 45 points which put him third in the Driver’s standings. Both of Red Bull’s drivers are in the top two with Max Verstappen leading with 69 points and Sergio Perez second with 54 points. Teammate Lance Stroll is 6th with 20 points, tied with fifth place Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr.
Aston Martin is also doing well in the Constructor’s standings. They are second so far with 65 points only behind Red Bull with 123 points.
While Aston Martin may not win anything this season, owing to the dominance of Red Bull, they could very well be challenging strongly in future campaigns. They may yet surprise us this season by claiming victory in the end somehow.
