"We need to keep our feet on the ground" - Aston Martin boss on being praised for their performance by rivals McLaren

Aston Martin is currently running eighth in the Constructor Standings after having secured a point from Lance Stroll's P10 finish at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend. However, the team remains cautiously optimistic.

The British team outperformed McLaren in Montreal and received praise from Lando Norris, who claimed that the team had potentially overtaken McLaren. Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack responded to this in a press conference and said:

“Yeah, it’s nice to hear that from a rival like Lando. But I think we need to keep our feet on the ground. We must not forget, we had…we used one set more than others yesterday. So this, I think, eventually gave us a little bit of extra performance that we need to confirm if we really have it or not. You’re right that we improved from where we started. But there’s still a long way to go.”

Sebastian Vettel had a great start to the weekend in Friday's free practice sessions but was unable to convert the results in qualifying as well as the main race, finishing outside the top ten.

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Aston Martin boss shares his point of view regarding the F1 budget cap and porpoising directive

The FIA recently announced a technical directive, stating that the body has decided to intervene in matters regarding the porpoising problems faced by the cars this season. This became the main topic of debate after weeks of focus lying on the tight budget cap set for the season amidst inflation levels.

Krack revealed that Aston Martin supports "an increase based on indexation, but not the cap increase per se." He said:

“Yeah, so let's start with the budget cap. So, you will be aware that there is a lot of discussion still going on. And I think it will be also on the agenda of the next financial advisories, and also Formula 1 Commission. So, there was a lot of discussion, obviously, from all kinds of parties, all the time, I think we must reflect that the increase of cost is real. For various things, Franz said it, parts are becoming more expensive, running the factories are becoming more expensive.”

He continued:

“So, we support an increase based on indexation, but not the cap increase per se. So I think the cap is there for good reason, and we should respect it. But, my opinion is that we should also reflect the increase in cost.”

Regarding the technical directive, Krack said:

“Then on the porpoising, if things become unsafe, or a safety concern, I think we must follow the FIA who is in charge. Safety first, before any performance concerns. So we support them 100 per cent. And as Franz said, we give the metrics and then we see that we can develop something that we get also the subject behind us and concentrate on racing.”

Aston Martin has been clear regarding its stance when it comes to the technical directive, although Krack admitted earlier that its timing was not the greatest.