Lawrence Stroll ‘not happy’ with Aston Martin performance

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has acknowledged Lawrence Stroll’s discontent with the team’s performance.

Aston Martin’s performance slump continues in frightening form. From the highs of consecutive podiums in the start of the season, the Silverstone-based team now finds itself languishing at the back of the grid. Trading trophies for DNFs, Aston Martin’s performance has dropped off remarkably.

The Mexico City Grand Prix was undoubtedly Aston Martin’s most challenging race this season. A DNF for Fernando Alonso was bested by a mere P17 finish for Lance Stroll. By team principal Mike Krack’s own admission, the team “did not give Lance and Fernando the car they needed to compete for points”.

Aston Martin’s recent dip in performance has reportedly been a cause of frustration for Lawrence Stroll. Acknowledging the team owner’s discontent, Krack told German media:

“Lawrence [Stroll] is not happy, but we’re not happy either. Nobody is happy,”

“If you have such a great start to the season and lose competitiveness, nobody is happy,” continued Krack. “But we don’t need [Lawrence Stroll] to tell us that.”

Maintaining a positive stance, Krack added: “We are a strong team, and we have to work cooperatively and openly to get out of this.”

Not lost — and still a terrific year

Krack has been insistent that Aston Martin is “not lost” amidst its recent struggles. But, it would seem attempts to turn the tide on the team’s results have been unsuccessful. Upgrades have been brought forward in an attempt to improve the drivability of the car. But instead of restoring Aston Martin to its early-season glory, the upgrades left its drivers grappling with the AMR23.

Fernando Alonso’s Mexico City DNF was the second consecutive non-finish for the Spaniard. Speaking to F1 after the race, Alonso maintained that he feels “no frustration yet”.

“This year has been an incredible season for us,” the two-time World Champion explained. “Even if we DNF the remaining of the races, 2023 is still a good season. But hopefully we can revert this situation and we can finish on a high.”

Although the team’s dip in performance is disheartening, Aston Martin still finds itself leaps and bounds ahead of its 2022 championship position. Last year saw Aston Martin finish seventh, never once finishing above P6 in a race. By contrast, Aston Martin looks on track to finish this year fifth overall.

Whilst it’s significantly lower than the team’s early-season aspirations, Alonso’s pragmatic approach to the situation seems sage. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Perhaps championship-winning teams weren’t, either.

Featured Image Credit: Aston Martin F1 Team