Aston Martin’s blunt but ‘simple’ solution to F1’s track limits problem after protest

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack says he has no sympathy for the drivers penalised for track limits offences at the Austrian Grand Prix in an explanation why the team protested the race result.

Track limits was a recurring theme throughout the Styria weekend, with multiple drivers penalised in qualifying and the race at the Red Bull Ring.

Aston Martin lodged a protest over the race result, with several drivers – including Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz – suffering post-race time penalties after the FIA looked into more than 1,200 track limits breaches – a figure that “shocked” Krack.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Aston Martin kept urging Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll to stay within track limits

That saw Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll promoted to fifth and ninth respectively in the final classification, with the team now just three points behind Mercedes ahead of this weekend’s British GP.

With several ideas suggested to resolve the problem in recent days, Krack – who was “confident” from the off that Alonso and Stroll would not be penalised – says the simplest of all would be for the drivers to stay within the limits of the track.

He told media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher at Silverstone: “The drivers have to stick on the tracks. And if they are not they have to receive the right penalty. It is as simple as that.

“Ten drivers managed to keep [to] the track limits. Our drivers were instructed, we had the penalty last year.

“I think their ears were bleeding from us telling them what the penalty will be and they managed to stay on track – the same for seven other drivers – so I think it was possible.

“We saw that not all the infringements were penalised in the race. When we got the provisional race classification, we saw that it was still not done and we decided to protest.”

Asked if Alonso and Stroll had any input into the decision to protest the result, Krack replied: “None. The drivers did not flag any track limit infringement from others.”

Austria was the second time in 2023 that Aston Martin have benefited from a post-race investigation, with Alonso’s third-place finish at the Saudi Arabian GP in March also restored after a protest.

Asked if an intrinsic knowledge of the rules is a particular skill of his team, Krack said: “I think it is just a matter of preparation. It is part of the race to look at that, after a race or if you are protested or if something is not the way you think it has to be.

“So we have a strong team at home, we have a strong team at the track that is preparing such situations well and I think this has helped us in these two occasions. To be successful with our points.”

Despite being one of the great success stories of 2023, Aston Martin’s momentum has slowed recently after two quiet showings in Spain and Austria.

Despite the Silverstone circuit featuring similar characteristics, Krack says he expects a tough fight with Ferrari and Mercedes this weekend, but it wary of the challenge of other teams after Lando Norris showed improved pace in the heavily upgraded McLaren at the Red Bull Ring.

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And he has played down suggestions that tracks with long, fast corners are a weakness for the AMR23 car, insisting the Austrian venue is a unique circuit on the calendar.

他说:“我们期望我们之间的竞争selves Ferrari, Mercedes and hopefully Red Bull and we have seen lately that other teams have improved their car substantially. So I think for the fans, it will be a great event.”

“I would not say [long, fast corners are a] weakness. We took 21 points from the weekend, I think we were competitive all [throughout].

“To be fair, I think the Ferraris were quicker than us – there was no way for us to go and challenge them – and from that point of view we said: OK, we have to maximise where we are.’

“Austria is also a bit special – you have [a] very, very short circuit, where small, small things can make a big effect; you have also a huge DRS effect on the very small circuit.

“So it’s all fine, taking these points, closing the gap to the competitor in front. I think, overall, it was not our strongest weekend but it was a good one in terms of points.”

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