Mike Krack has insisted Aston Martin will not become Formula 1 "gamblers" despite conceding Fernando Alonso would have led the Monaco Grand Prix if Intermediate tyres were fitted at his pit stop. Alonso pitted just as the rain began falling but changed to a fresh set of slick Medium tyres instead of switching to the Intermediate rubber. This proved to be the wrong choice as the Spanish driver pitted one lap later to switch onto the Intermediate tyres, as race leader Max Verstappen also followed suit. Alonso could have been in striking range of Verstappen had he fitted Intermediates at his first stop, with the Red Bull tip-toeing around on his in-lap having hit the wall at Portier in the low-grip conditions.
Krack: We are not gamblers
"The computer system says that if we had gone to Inters, we would have probably come out in front of Max," Team Principal Krack told media, including RacingNews365.com . "But that does not mean we would have won the race. "With the full benefit of hindsight, that would have been the case, but when you make the decisions, you have to rely on the data that you have. "So from that point of view, everything was working as it should have, and it is clear that with the benefit of hindsight, you might sometimes do things differently." Asked if the episode would prompt the strategy team to adopt a more aggressive strategy, Krack replied: "If aggressive means gambling, the answer is clearly no. "We are not gamblers, we are a data-driven team. We look at all the information we have."
'Nature of F1'
The team were criticised by some for the decision to put Alonso onto the dry tyres as the track continued to get wetter, but Krack says this is just the "nature of Formula 1." "It is something we have to live with," he explained. "We are exposed and we want to be reported on when everything runs well, then we also have to accept when reports are coming out that things could have been better. "It's not really a drama. "I understand Fernando that he pointed this out, because it is a fact, but we know that and with the media, the sport is so public and so under scrutiny, then it is clear that these things are also being discussed. "For me, it isn't a problem."
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