Mike Krack makes 'back foot' admission after Lance Stroll's turbulent F1 season

Stroll crasht hard in Q1 — Photo: © LAT Images

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Krack makes 'back foot' admission after Stroll's turbulent F1 season

Stroll endured his fair share of ups and downs during 2023

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Saturday 16 December 2023 16:57

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Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has admitted that Lance Stroll started 2023 on the back foot thanks to a pre-season injury, insisting that the Canadian ended the year 'very much on the up'.

The Formula 1 season got off to the worst possible start for Stroll this year before a race had even begun.

The 25-year-old broke both his wrists and a toe after a cycling crash in Spain three days before pre-season testing in Bahrain.

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Yet Stroll would not be kept down for long, as he remarkably found himself inside the cockpit a week later for the season-opener, despite not fully recovering from his injuries until the Monaco Grand Prix in May.

Lance Stroll (L) was unable to keep pace with Aston Martin team-mate, Fernando Alonso (R), in 2023

A P4 finish in Australia was Stroll's best performance of the year

Unfortunately for Stroll, he would spend the entirety of the 2023 season in Fernando Alonso's shadow, unable to record a single podium compared to his team-mate's tally of eight.

Alonso's points haul of 206, securing him P4 in the drivers' standings, was more than double Stroll's (74), who ended the season in 10th.

Despite this, Krack is adamant that his driver is on the right track and will be set for a much improved 2024 if he can carry over his end of season momentum.

Krack: Stroll very much on the up

"Lance is in a great place," he told the team's in-house media. "He's relaxed and self-confident. You can see it in his body language. It's very impressive how he has developed as a driver this year.

"He had the injury pre-season, which put him on the back foot, but he showed real grit and determination to get back behind the wheel as quickly as possible. And, despite all he had been through, he was still very fast.

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack is pleased with Stroll's progress this season

"Then, later in the season, he came back fighting after a tough phase. He had a lot of pressure to deal with and handled it with a lot of assurance.

"I wish the season would have been a bit longer for him because he's been really fast in the final rounds. We can build on that. That's what needs to happen now, he just needs to pick up where he left off this season.

"He's overcome many challenges this year and now he's very much on the up."