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Aston Martin finds itself at the bottom of the constructors' standings after the first three races of the season. A team that seemed destined for success before the start of the season and was considered one of the dark horses is seemingly nowhere right now. From the outside, it does appear that there needs to be a rethink on how it wants to approach the sport, especially if it is aiming for long-term success.
The team has lost its DNA
It's hard to see any resemblance between Aston Martin and Force India, its previous guise. Force India was a team that was down on budget as compared to the rest of the grid. What it did, however, was make up that deficit with efficiency in every stratum of its working. The team had one of the best strategies compared to its competitors. It was not wasteful when it came to grabbing on to the opportunities at hand and to add to it, the team made the most of every dollar it spent.
You compare that to Aston Martin and you see a team that does not have a dearth of resources. Concurrently, however, the team is wasteful in its approach to F1. It's not efficient when it comes to its operational aspects. Additionally, it's a complete switch for Aston Martin as the team tends to make huge claims but does not come close to delivering on those claims. This is contrary to the way Force India went about under-promising and over-achieving.
Too much turbulence in the top management
With Martin Whitmarsh back with the team, it's hard to understand what his role is as he stays behind the scenes most of the time. Mike Krack was hired just before the start of the season, something that is just not ideal. Moreover, the team lost Otmar Szafnaeur, someone who has been part of the team's DNA for more than two decades.
One cannot expect the team to have a united front and grow with this much turbulence in top management. There are too many moving parts with too many new faces from different places. As a result, there is no concrete pathway towards growth for the team.
After the first three races, Krack seems like a fish out of water who is unable to understand how to turn this mess around. Even though it's not his fault as he was brought in at a much later juncture, the clueless way in which the team has been put together has left it with no direction.
Aston Martin needs a rethink on its drivers
Having a four-time world champion in the team was an ace deal by Lawrence Stroll. Teaming Sebastian Vettel up with Lance Stroll, however, is starting to show its shortcomings. Reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg is very good, but his performances in the Aston Martin were flattered by the lackluster way Stroll performed in the same car.
On a grid where Aston Martin could get a hold of talents like Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri, Lawrence Stroll needs to have a clear idea of what he wants the Aston Martin project to be. If he wants it to be an outlet to fund a seat for his son, then his mission is accomplished. If he wants success, however, then the presence of Lance Stroll is probably not the best thing for the team.
Lawrence Stroll needs to back off!
Arguably one of the more damaging verdicts about the plight of Aston Martin came from none other than former employee Otmar Szafnaeur. The now-Alpine team boss talked about how contrasting his experience was with previous owner Vijay Mallya and current owner Lawrence Stroll. While Stroll made regular visits to the factory and was always forcing changes, Mallya gave the engineers and the employees the breathing room to get things done.
Szafnauer alluded to Stroll's micromanagement antics proving counterproductive for the team as, despite the extra resources, the team lost its DNA and became something else. Somewhere down the line, Stroll will need to understand that the team he has bought does not lack expertise or direction. What it lacks is finances, and if he can keep supplementing them with that and backs off with his interventions, the team might be able to regain its mojo.
At the moment, though, Aston Martin is looking like a team lost for direction. Unless there is a total overhaul in its approach, it might not find a way back.
