Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack praises Fernando Alonso's work ethic
- Nick Krige
- 17 April 2023
Mike Krack was full of praise for the impact Fernando Alonso has had at Aston Martin, saying the veteran Spaniard is leading by example at the surprise contenders.
To almost everyone's surprise, Aston Martin have emerged as the leading challenger to Red Bull's dominance of Formula 1 at the moment with Ferrari and Mercedes struggling.
Alonso has finished on the podium in all three races so far in 2023 and holds third place in the Drivers' Championship standings behind the two Red Bull drivers.
On more than one occasion, the Aston Martin mechanics have sung Alonso's name while he celebrated on the podium, which Krack believes shows the high esteem with which he is held by the team.
"I think it was a confirmation basically, of where he's standing in the team," Krack said, according to the website Motorsport. "He brought a lot of energy, a lot of positiveness when he arrived.
"He is leading by example at all times. He's there very early, he's working really hard, and it is this lead-by-example that everybody just sees and grabs on and gives an extra level of motivation.
"And I think the singing of the name was like a confirmation also for him that he really brought a lot into the team.
"If someone told me you will have three podiums after the first three races I would have not believed it," he said.
"But it shows also what a champion we have there. He's just incredible, his consistency.
"If you look at all the sessions so far throughout the year he has always been there, in every session, in every FP1, FP2, he'll always be up there and pushes the maximum all the time."
While their form has been exceptional so far, Krack has played down suggestions Alonso could challenge for a third-world title.
"I think the most important thing is the speed and the desire to compete or the desire to be competitive. I don't like to speak about age, about Fernando's age, about my age also by the way!
"In general, I think it is really important how you keep yourself fit, how you keep yourself in, and what is your desire to do well, and this is something outstanding that Fernando is having.
"I would really be happy if we could provide the car for him to gain this third title, but I think we need to keep our feet a bit more on the ground, speaking about world titles.
"We have made now our first step in progressing from where we were before, and we should not start to dream."
