Aston Martin return to podiums 'not straightforward'

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has conceded it will not be "straightforward" for the team to return to podiums after a slump in performance prior to F1's summer break.

The squad has achieved six podiums out of the 12 races so far this season, but its form has dropped off since the Canadian Grand Prix after Mercedes and McLaren brought updates to their cars, which have proved to be more effective.

Krack told media including RacingNews365: "I think Hungary was the last element in the puzzle because it is a track where we expected to be more competitive and we were not.

"That was the last data point to confirm that maybe we're not going in the right direction."

Krack: It will be a couple of races

Aston Martin was expecting to challenge Red Bull for the win at Hungary after promise at Monaco given the similar circuit characteristics suited to the AMR23.

But it was a lacklustre race for the squad, with Lance Stroll getting lapped on his way to 10th while Alonso finished ninth behind both Ferraris.

A stronger performance at the unfancied Belgian Grand Prix raised optimism again, although the team is now left searching for answers entering the second half of the season.

"I think it would be a couple of races," added Krack.

"Between identifying and then trying to put the right steps in place, producing the parts in the right quantities. It will be a couple of weeks, it will not be straightforward."

Krack was keen not to delve into timelines when asked if problems would be rectified in the first few races back from the summer break.

"Monza is a bit special. I think in Monza you shouldn't try to make too many experiments," he explained.

"We will have something for all the races and try to address it step-by-step. But I cannot really say when it is fixed."