Aston Martin 'cannot destroy' itself after major F1 step achieved

Aston Martin "cannot destroy" itself over its current F1 plight despite reaching a big milestone in the Japanese GP.

For the first time in 2026, the team managed to complete a grand prix distance with Fernando Alonso finishing in 18th place whilst team-mate Lance Stroll retired with a water pressure issue.

Prior to the season-opening Australian GP, team principal Adrian Newey disclosed that due to the vibrations of the Honda power unit, neither Alonso nor Stroll could complete a race distance, but through countermeasures, Alonso was finally able to do so at Suzuka. 

Reflecting on the two-time world champion doing so, chief trackside officer Mike Krack felt it was a key step for the team, even if it was one which should not be cause for celebration. 

"The mood in the team is of no celebration, that is clear, but Jesus, when you look back at Melbourne, we discussed doing six laps, and in Shanghai, we managed to do the sessions, but had a lot of work to be able to do all the sessions," Krack told media, including RacingNews365.

"That was not the case here, so the cars could be prepared normally between the session and our modest objective was to finish a race with both cars, and we managed that with one, so it is a small step, with many, many, many small steps to be done. 

"But as a team, you cannot destroy yourself. We are in a difficult situation and need to take the positives. 

"We have now managed to finish races in Formula 1, which should be the norm; it should not be something you have to celebrate, but we have to acknowledge that this is the situation we are in. 

"We have to accept it and work ourselves out of it, and credit goes to everyone trackside, at Sakura, and at Silverstone in how we persisted in getting these initial steps done."