Aston Martin shut down question over rampant F1 speculation

Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack dismissed a question over potential changes to the team's senior management structure at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The 54-year-old was unwilling to get dragged into discussing whether Adrian Newey would remain team principal at the Silverstone squad or the links to Jonathan Wheatley, who has recently stepped down at Audi.

Heading into the weekend at Suzuka, the Lawrence Stroll-led team has been mired in a dreadful start to the campaign, with even more intense scrutiny on it at Honda's home race.

The partnership between the car giant and Aston Martin has started badly. Not only is the AMR26 underpowered, but vibrations emanating from the battery are causing significant discomfort to Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, to the extent that neither can yet complete a full race distance.

In Melbourne, Newey claimed the drivers felt there was a risk of "permanent nerve damage" in their hands, and there was close attention paid to his handling of the press over the rest of the opening round.

With it being widely rumoured that the Briton is on the search for his own replacement, with a view to stripping back to just his managing technical partner responsibilities, Wheatley has been touted as the most likely replacement.

Thought to be unhappy with how much time he was spending in Switzerland, he departed Audi on personal grounds after just a year in charge.

Aston Martin, however, is much closer to home, with the team's campus just up the road from Red Bull's, where he spent two decades — alongside Newey.

But Krack would not be drawn into the matter. "Yeah," he initially replied in front of media including RacingNews365, before highlighting Aston Martin's priority for the weekend at Suzuka.

"I think we are now here in Japan, we focus on the home race of our partner, we focus on this weekend.

"We have a lot of work ahead. So I think this is not a question for here."

The younger Stroll was similarly tight-lipped during the FIA drivers' press conference, but did refer to Newey as the team principal, something his father was very careful not to do in a statement issued last week voicing support for acclaimed aerodynamicist.

"I don't know all the details about that, but I know Adrian's team principal right now," Stroll told media including RacingNews365.

"I know that we have to improve the engine, we have to improve the car, and I think that's what everyone's focused on."