Aston Martin’s warning for Fernando Alonso as Spaniard wants more than just podiums
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso embraces a team member after qualifying. Saudi Arabia March 2023.
With Fernando Alonso dreaming of ’33’ after yet another podium in Miami, Mike Krack has warned the driver “you should never take a podium in F1 as normal or as a given”.
Alonso has been sensational at the beginning of his Aston Martin career with the double World Champion reaching the podium in four of this year’s five grands prix to sit P3 in the Drivers’ Championship.
All four of his podium celebrations have been for third-placed finishes with the Spaniard saying after Miami that is no longer enough, he now wants a win or at the very least to move up to second place.
“I think at the beginning of the year a podium was amazing,’ he said. “Now after four podiums we want obviously more, and at least a second place.
“But the two Red Bulls are always unbreakable, and they are always super-fast. But maybe Monaco, maybe Barcelona we have a possibility.”
Krack, though, has urged his driver – and the team as a whole – not to take podiums for granted, even the P3s.
“Feet on the ground, you should never take a podium in F1 as normal or as a given,” Krack said after Miami.
“It’s a lot of hard work involved to be on the podium and you have very, very strong competitors in Formula 1, very professional. And if we are not 100 percent in all areas at all times, then there is no podium.”
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Krack had previously spoken about a “difference between confidence and arrogance”, the German team boss acknowledging that while Aston Martin have a bit of a gap to those behind, their deficit to thechampionship leadersRed Bull is still big.
“We are substantially behind them,” he conceded. “Even if they stand still, the gap would be big to catch up in one season. Plus they have a different infrastructure, different firepower than we do.
“Of course, we take the fastest car as a reference. We just don’t drive ourselves crazy and constantly look at the distances to Ferrari, Mercedes and Alpine. That’s useless. The tracks are very different. Sometimes one grows together, sometimes the other.”
Formula 1 now has a week-long break before heading into the first triple-header of the season; Imola, Monaco and Spain.
“It will be very hard for man and machine because it’s three weekends in a row,” he said. “You have Monaco in the middle, which is logistically very, very difficult.
“Everybody will bring stuff, we will bring stuff. So I think this will add a little bit of extra work to everybody in terms of understanding what you have done in terms of putting the parts on.
“It will be quite challenging, but we’re looking forward to it.”
While Alonso is third in the Drivers’ Championship, 44 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen, Aston Martin are holding down second. Their deficit to Red Bull, though, is 112 points.
