'We will never give up' – Krack adamant Aston Martin will continue the fight with McLaren for P4

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has vowed the team will never give up in their quest to overhaul McLaren in the constructors’ standings.

After a recent drop off in form, the team appeared to be back to their early season best in Brazil as Fernando Alonso expertly held off Sergio Perez to secure Aston’s first podium finish since Zandvoort. To sum up the contrast in form, the Spaniard’s P3 in Sao Paulo was his second podium finish in the last 12 Grands Prix after he had scored six podium finishes in the first eight of this year.

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Lance Stroll also made it a memorable weekend for the team with a superb P5, helping to bank some valuable points.

However, Aston Martin’s recent drop off in form has been in stark contrast to that of McLaren. The Papaya outfit’s pace ever since the key upgrade brought in Austria, has propelled them into being regular podium contenders, and the subsequent increased points haul has elevated them beyond Aston in the constructors’ standings.

While McLaren could only score with one car in Brazil – Oscar Piastri unwittingly receiving a rear-end shunt thanks to the Lap 1 collision between Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg behind him – Lando Norris would go on to score another runner-up spot in Brazil.

All of that means that just 21 points separate fourth-placed McLaren and fifth-placed Aston Martin in the constructors’ standings, but Krack is determined his team will give it everything they’ve got to reclaim the P4 they’d held earlier in the year.

“It’s a two-stage approach,” he told Sky Sports F1, when asked how he’d assess the weekend given Norris had finished 26 seconds ahead of Alonso on track. “After what happened over the last months, I think we have to celebrate in the first place because we have managed a turnaround. That’s very important – let’s say that is Monday.

“On Tuesday, I think we have to look at everything and see how we can close that gap moving forward. But I said it all the time, we are continuing the fight and we will never give up.”

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Plenty of onlookers had written off any chances of Aston Martin moving upwards in the standings, primarily because of McLaren’s current performance levels rather than anything to do with the Silverstone-based outfit themselves. But in sport anything can happen – as shown by Piastri’s race in Brazil – and Krack is clear that all his team can do is focus on themselves.

“We cannot influence what other competitors are doing,” he said. “The only thing we have in our hands is to do the best possible and [be at] 100% at all times.

“If that is then sufficient to bring the good results like today – we must also be honest, Oscar had a problem – but this is racing. At the end of the day, you know we need to try and do everything we can over the last races and then we’ll see where we’re going to end.”

Next up is the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, a race that could prove to be a reset across the grid with none of the teams having raced on this brand new circuit before. In circumstances such as these, the team that adapts best can often enjoy a strong performance – and that’s something Krack is aware of with the unique spectacle fast approaching.

“I’m always excited about a new venue, a new circuit,” he said. “You turn the clocks to zero, you know, it means everybody has to do their job, everybody has to prepare themselves well and nobody has any experience.

“And then it’s Las Vegas, obviously. We’re talking this up so much – we have to be happy and excited about it and we are. It’s going to be interesting how we all handle this and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season.”

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