The Hungarian F1 Grand Prix weekend could mark a turning point for Aston Martin in the current season. The team is preparing the eagerly awaited version 2.0 of the AMR26, but admits it is still racing against time to have all the parts available in Budapest.
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After a first half of the season marked by reliability problems and lack of performance, the Silverstone team places great expectations on the new technical package. The update comes at an important time, as the team has frequently been at the back of the grid and has faced difficulties even staying clear of the 107% rule in qualifying sessions.
According to Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s head of track operations, the main concern is the ability to produce all components in time to equip both cars. The executive acknowledged that the situation is still open.
“That’s the million-dollar question. Everyone is working flat out to get the parts and get the cars ready. It’s a big challenge when you decide to go down this route, because you always try to push the deadlines as much as possible,” Krack said.
The executive highlighted the effort made at the team’s facilities to enable the new car’s debut at the Hungaroring circuit. Despite the uncertainties, he expressed confidence that Aston Martin will have both its single-seaters ready for track activity: “I’m an optimistic person, so I believe we will have two cars ready to race. Now, honestly, I don’t think we will have five spare parts of each component,” he said.
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Krack also explained that the team has been working on alternative scenarios to prevent the absence of a single item from compromising the introduction of the package. According to him, different plans have been prepared to deal with possible manufacturing delays.
“You always need to create scenarios in case you have one part and not another. You can’t be dependent on a single component and then not be able to put the car on track. There are plans like: ‘What if we don’t have this?’ or ‘Can we race this way?’,” he added.
While acknowledging that there will not be complete replacement for all items, Krack praised the internal work to minimize risks: “I think everyone has done a good job in creating contingency measures and also alternative plans in case one or two components are not ready,” he completed.
In addition to the aerodynamic package planned for Budapest, Aston Martin also expects to introduce an update to its Honda power unit, aided by the ADUO system, in the following round, the Dutch GP, which will take place after the August break. The expectation is that these changes will help the team start the second half of the season more competitively.
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