Aston Martin F1 chief praises 'very good' pit stop at Barcelona Grand Prix

Alonso and Aston Martin team principal Krack ahead of 2023 Monaco GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Barcelona Grand Prix

Aston Martin praise 'very good' pit stop at Barcelona Grand Prix

Aston Martin came away from Barcelona with two DNFs

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 18 June 2026 15:53

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Aston Martin F1 team's chief trackside officer Mike Krack has said the squad are able to take a positive away from last weekend's Barcelona Grand Prix despite both drivers retiring from the race.

The seventh round of the F1 2026 championship provided some light relief for the Silverstone squad who, after the Monaco GP earlier this month, finally picked up their first championship point of the season.

When Fernando Alonso crossed the line in the principality in P12, his Aston Martin squad likely felt robbed of what could have been their first points finish of a so far disappointing season.

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But when the FIA confirmed post-race penalties, one of which for Cadillac's Sergio Perez, Alonso was promoted up to P10, stealing the single point that came with it.

This gave the Spaniard some hope of improving upon his 10th-place finish at the following round in Barcelona, which was made even more special by the legions of roaring fans who turned up to support their home hero in Catalonia.

Sadly for Aston Martin however, Lance Stroll retired during the opening stages of Sunday's race due to a suspected gearbox issue. Alonso then made it to lap 40 before his AMR26 was shown as being stationary at Turn 9 on the broadcast as a battery issue brought a heartbreaking end to the 44-year-old's race.

Krack issues apology to F1 fans after Alonso home race heartbreak

Following a point-less weekend in Spain, Aston Martin chief Krack told media: "It was a disappointing weekend. It was difficult; we expected a difficult weekend, but then having poor performance and having two DNFs does not make it easy."

"In the first place, I feel sorry for all the fans in green shirts and in the grandstands and in the paddock, there were so many when we drove in and out.

"It was so nice to see all these people with the green shirts, and we could not give them anything to cheer about, which is a shame because we started from the pitlane, and then we could not finish the race with a decent result.

"So I am really sorry for all the fans that have bought expensive tickets to see their heroes, and we could not give them the hardware to perform.

"You always learn new things, as crazy as it might sound, when you are between three and four seconds off, you think you are driving casually, but you still learn a lot," he continued.

"Barcelona is very, very difficult for the energy. You have seen the FIA tweaking the energy a couple of times before the event, so it is a difficult circuit for energy, and I think we learned a great deal about how to adjust our processes to get the maximum out of it."

Krack then turned his attention to the more favourable takeaways his team could reflect on from the weekend, noting that the team's ability to perform a speedy pit stop during the race had impressed him.

F1 is a sport often won in fine margins, so for a team struggling with their chassis and Honda power unit behind the scenes, at least Aston Martin now know they can pull off a seamless pit stop when it matters.

"So, there are some small positives, but it is difficult to see them," Krack continued.

"The single pit stop that we did was very good, in my opinion, so we have to work with these and try to improve in all other areas."

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