on the terrace of hospitality Aston Martin, renamed Team House, Mike Krack receives the Press first thing on Thursday. His team is in the news after reaching an agreement with Honda as a partner and engine supplier starting in 2026. The Luxembourg engineer details some details of a contract that will run until at least 2030, with the next rule change, which will allow them to become a factory team and not a Mercedes customer. Among the difficulties, he exposes the challenge of design a gearbox which they have so far acquired from the Germans together with the rear suspension.
AS asks Krack directly, do you think Alonso will drive an Aston Martin Honda in 2026? “There are no reasons to think that he will not be with us in the car in 2026. I can’t think of a single reason why I won’t be there, ”he settles. The heads of Honda already hinted this Wednesday that Fernando seems to them “a great, fantastic pilot”, and age does not seem like an impediment given the level of competitiveness of the Spaniard in 2022, with four podiums in five races. He will be 44 years old.
“Fernando was not in the negotiations but he was aware, we always want his opinion on every issue because he is a key member of the team, like Lance. We have a great relationship with the drivers, you see it when they talk on the radio. We also have Peter (of the Rose). It is a very strong team, we do not separate the drivers from the engineers and we are a great group in which everyone’s opinion counts”, explains the main team of the British team.
“We have two great expectations in Monaco”
But that is the future. The present offers Aston Martin one of the clearest opportunities to fight for victory this weekend at the Monaco GP. “I wish it were as easy as saying that we are going to fight for the victory. We have great expectations in Monaco, we have two great drivers and a good car, in the simulator the drivers were very happy but we cannot forget our rivals. We have yet to see Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes with a high downforce setup. It would be easy to say that we are going to be ahead but I don’t think it will be that easy”, says Krack to this medium.
The key will be in the laps on Saturday. And that the drivers have confidence during the weekend to launch the decisive attack in Q3: “You have to be one hundred percent all the time, at least, qualifying is very important this year and if you don’t start from the first two rows is very difficult. You have to arrive without mistakes in qualifying, in Miami we made them. It won’t be a walk. We have to look up, but with our feet on the ground. If we have a better result than the podiums we take it, but it will be difficult”.