Big changes to F1 teams' form in 2024 would be a "surprise"

The competitive order in Formula 1 is unlikely to go through “big deviations” in 2024 as the regulations remain stable, according to Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack.

This season will mark the third year of the current ground effect design rulebook. The status is allowing teams to coalesce around the Red Bull-style downwash sidepod car architecture.

The notable exceptions to that philosophy were Mercedes and Ferrari, but both have committed to a new car concept for 2024 that will almost certainly fall in line with the rest of the grid.

Given the lack of a rules shake-up, which has the potential to catch teams out and jumble the order, Krack says it would be a 'surprise' to see any major changes to the form guide this year.

He said: "When you when you have stable rules, the way we have it now, teams will rather go evolutionary.

"And if you have such a standout car, as we have with Red Bull, I think a lot of people will try to go in that direction.

"On the other hand, we have heard from Ferrari, from Mercedes, that they will make very big architectural changes. So, we are curious to see what that is going to bring.

"But I think all in all, if you look at it, usually what happens if the technical regs stay [the same] the field is moving closer together year on year."

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

Since the regulations are not due an overhaul until 2026 (when smaller, lighter cars will adopt active aero and a new powertrain concept), Krack reckons teams will instead focus on refining their trackside operations to regain performance.

Improved strategy and pitstop times might prove critical in the races, given the top 18 cars could be split by as little as 0.6 seconds during qualifying sessions in the latter half of the 2023 season.

He continued: "[The stability] is then also putting more emphasis on operations again because if the cars are close together, it's really the small details that make the difference on the grid position."

"[The tight gaps in qualifying] will only get smaller, I think, over the years to come.

"So, to come back to the original question: I will be surprised if there are big deviations to where we are now."

Additional reporting by Jake Boxall-Legge