Lawrence Stroll wants more from Aston Martin
Lawrence and Lance Stroll (Image: Getty Images)
Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin’s executive chairman, has stated that the team’s incredible start to the season is not enough for him and he wants the team to push for race wins. The team has scored three podiums in all three races this season. It’s already been a better season for the team compared to the last two seasons combined, but team boss Stroll is not pleased with this result.
Fernando Alonso has finished all three races this season on the last step of the podium, which leaves the team second in the standings, nine points ahead of nearest competitor Mercedes. This dream start for the team is a massive upgrade in comparison to finishing P7 in the last two season standings.
Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s team principal, has made it clear that although these consistent podiums are great for the team, Stroll has made it clear that it is not enough for his satisfaction.
After a three-four finish in Australia, Krack said: “The team’s mission is very clear, Stroll has not had any delay in telling us ‘When are we going to win the next one?’ Obviously, he is happy we have made a step, but this is not enough for his ambitions.
“The good thing with Lawrence is you know where you stand - he wants more, and we will have to deliver more.”
It would be more than a challenge for the team to secure a race win, especially in their current state, against the likes of the dominant Red Bulls. The reigning champions have shown more than a few issues with reliability in the first three races of the season but have always prevailed when it mattered most.
However, Krack believes that once Aston Martin can extract the maximum out of their car package and set-up, they will have a chance to win a race.
Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s team principal, during a press conference at the Australian Grand Prix (Image: Getty Images)
Krack continued by stating: “We’ve had three circuits with three characteristics. To be competitive on all three, we are confident we can be on other circuits as well.
“But you know the range of circuits is now very different; you have Baku (Azerbaijan) with huge straights and then you have Monaco with no straights. These kinds of things will always shift the field a little bit.
“And this can happen when you have such small margins, it can happen, it’s the situation we are In and I've said it before, we have to be at maximum at all times, at 100%, to get the most out of it.”
Aston Martin are yet to bring any magnificent upgrades to their car; they are expected to arrive in the next couple of races. Given the team’s success already without any significant upgrades, it would be suspected that the team would perform at a much higher level and hopefully secure the race win that Stroll is desperate for.
Lance Stroll, Lawrence Stroll’s son and driver for Aston Martin, is deemed to still be recovering from a biking accident that occurred before the start of the season which resulted in two broken wrists and toe but will hopefully recover fully in time for these upgrades and will be able to perform to the best of his abilities.
Alonso, on the other hand, has been gaining the praise of both Krack and Stroll as he is performing fantastically well during the start of the season. Alonso is believed to be the factor that will be the difference between podiums and a win for the Silverstone-based team.
Krack said: “It’s fantastic, if someone had said you would have three podiums after the first three races, I would not have believed it either. He (Alonso) shows what a champion we have, he’s incredible.”