Aston Martin calls Alonso pitstop a “mess” after Australian GP
Aston Martin’s Chief Trackside Officer, Mike Krack, has admitted that a breakdown in team communications led to Fernando Alonso spending 11 laps in the pits during the Australian Grand Prix.
Alonso initially appeared to be retiring after heading to the pits on Lap 13, sparking speculation that he was protecting his hands from pre-race vibrations. However, the Spanish driver reemerged later, 11 laps down, before ultimately retiring for good.
“The pitstop was a mess,” Krack said. “It was not a mess from the garage side, it was a mess from our side. The communications were basically cross-communicated. You have so many channels and sometimes things go wrong. One of the things that we have to acknowledge is that we have not done much and this was the first time live, and it didn’t go well. That is something we need to address in the future.”
Krack also explained the reasoning behind the retirement of both Aston Martin cars:
“It is common knowledge that we are not rich in any parts, and there wasn’t much to gain from where we were. We took the decision together not to risk it further.”
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Aston Martin reflects on double retirement at Australian GP
Aston Martin’s double retirement at the Australian Grand Prix was largely expected due to pre-race concerns, but Mike Krack suggested the outcome wasn’t entirely negative. He believes the team could have finished the race if parts availability hadn’t been a limiting factor.
“I don’t have a crystal ball, but I’m quite confident that we could have finished,” Krack said.
Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, continued to contend with vibrations throughout his brief stints on track. His additional laps were aimed at helping the team gather data to better understand the issue.
“This is not the best feeling driving with this level of vibration,” the 44-year-old said.
“I think Honda thinks the vibrations on the battery are really reduced since Bahrain with some of the modifications, but that didn’t happen to the chassis yet because they need to isolate the battery in a different way.
It will take a little more time, but we try to do our best and complete as many laps as possible to help the team.”