The Belgian Grand Prix this weekend was marked in red by Fernando Alonso’s fans for a simple reason: it was the last race of suffering before Aston Martin’s upgrades begin arriving next week in Hungary. However, a new cloud of uncertainty has emerged on the horizon.
Upon arriving at Spa-Francorchamps, Mike Krack, the head of Aston Martin in the absence of Adrian Newey, confirmed that upgrades would arrive for the Hungaroring. But he also left a worrying message. They are not sure they will be able to have the upgrades ready on both cars. If they don’t, they will have to choose between Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Krack cannot guarantee that the upgrades will be installed on both cars in Hungary
The upgrades for Aston Martin will arrive in Hungary, but they might not be available to Fernando Alonso. This is what the words of Mike Krack, acting head of Aston Martin, at Spa suggest. The Luxembourger has confirmed that the AMR26B will be at Hungaroring, but they are not certain they can put two units on track.
Krack explains that “we are working flat out at the factory and pushing against the deadlines. We are optimistic that everything will arrive for both and that we will have two cars available.” In other words, something that had been taken as a given — that the upgrades would be available on both cars — is now far from guaranteed.
It is common for Formula 1 teams not to be able to develop two units of their new parts, especially when it comes to a radical shift like the one Aston Martin is preparing. The problem is that if the English squad does not arrive on time with both cars, it would have to make a very tough call, because it is not clear who the first driver is.
And while, in terms of performance, it is more than evident that the outright favorite for Aston Martin is Fernando Alonso, we must also remember that Stroll is the owner’s son, which could give him preference. Perhaps Alonso’s uncertainty about renewing could ultimately tilt Aston Martin toward him.
What Krack can confirm, however, is that “there will not be five spare parts for both,” meaning that Alonso and Stroll, even if both have the upgrades, will need to tread very carefully not to break anything during the weekend, risking running out of the new parts if they do. Meanwhile, Honda continues with the plan to introduce the new engine at Zandvoort, after the summer.
“We are glad and proud of the engine’s progress, I wouldn’t call it top-tier in terms of performance. We are very keen to unveil it,” said Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s chief engineer.
Images | Aston Martin, Honda
