Krack says Aston Martin got its opening tyre call wrong at Sepang
GPBeat reports that Mike Krack acknowledged Aston Martin got its opening tyre call wrong at Sepang. Fernando Alonso stayed on slicks after Lance Stroll switched to intermediates and recovered to eighth; Krack said the team still lacked the pace to score regularly.
Mike Krack said Aston Martin got its opening tyre call wrong at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang. The race began on a wet but drying track, with both cars on medium slicks. Lance Stroll quickly switched to intermediates, while Fernando Alonso stayed out, hoping a Safety Car would make a later stop cheaper and close up the field.
The Safety Car Alonso had hoped for arrived. Krack said Aston was fortunate that it brought the field back together, giving Alonso a chance to recover. After the restart, Alonso made steady progress and passed Arvid Lindblad to reach the points just before a late VSC became a second full Safety Car. George Russell's retirement and a mishap for Lando Norris then promoted Alonso to eighth; Stroll finished 12th.
Krack said half the field had made the same initial tyre choice as Aston Martin. He also said half the field had not got it right, and that Aston needed to review its own call.
Alonso's eighth place gave Aston Martin its first points since August. He attributed the stronger weekend to the circuit and said some other weeks remained very uncompetitive; Krack said Aston still lacked the pace to score regularly.
Sources 03
- PRIMARY SOURCEHow Alonso and Aston Martin took their opportunity in SepangFormula 1
- PRIMARY SOURCEHow Aston Martin 'miracle' earned P12 and P14 for Bahrain GPFormula 1
- SOURCE“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026Motorsport.com F1
Claims and supporting evidence 6
The post-race report attributes both the admission and the review comment to Krack.
The report describes the track conditions, Aston Martin's tyre choice, the drivers' different actions and Alonso's reason for staying out.
The report links Krack's Safety Car comment to the field closing up and then recounts Alonso's progress after the restart.
The report gives both later developments and the Aston Martin finishing positions.
The report records both parts of Krack's comment about the field's choices.
The report states the points milestone and attributes the circuit assessment and regular-pace warning to Alonso and Krack respectively.
This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.