Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has said that the team 'have to give our drivers a better car' after praising both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll's performances at the Italian Grand Prix.
The team have made huge strides forward in 2023, scoring podiums at seven of the first 14 races of the season and chasing a third-place spot in the constructors' championship.
Their 42-year-old driver Alonso has achieved all seven of those podiums and sits in third in the drivers' championship behind the two dominant Red Bull cars of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Stroll, on the other hand, has struggled at times this season, but overall has done a solid job to be sat ninth in the drivers' standings.
Despite their brilliant season, the team have lacked pace over the last few races, with a fantastic second position at the chaotic Dutch GP somewhat papering over the cracks of a team that have been gradually caught by the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren as the season has progressed.
Their most recent outing at the Monza, where Alonso and Stroll finished ninth and 16th respectively, was perhaps a more accurate representation of where the team's race pace is currently at.
Krack: Alonso and Stroll need a better car
Lance Stroll (L) and Fernando Alonso (R) are team-mates at Aston Martin
Yet there is optimism among the team, not least because they still have plenty of upgrades to come on their car, while many other teams have now almost entirely switched focus to 2024.
"We have a list of things still coming from now to the end of the season," Krack told Motorsport.com.
"I think honestly, both drivers did a fantastic job, because the car was really difficult to drive.
"They were both finished. And honestly, we have to give our drivers a better car, they drove themselves out of out of it. You should have seen them, they were really, really exhausted," he said about the Italian GP.
High speed circuits like Monza don't seem to suit the Aston Martin too well, and with both the Las Vegas and Brazilian GP's coming up, Krack says it's important to take lessons away from Monza.
"Yes, two points. But we lost a position to Ferrari. And the most important thing is that we take the lessons learned for Las Vegas, and also for next year," he continued.
"So I think it's really important. We had similar issues last year when we came here, and we need to do a step forward in these kinds of circuits.
"Vegas I think is the second to last race, and we hope that some of these updates are helping to do that."
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