Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has praised the “crazy hours” work behind the scenes in a bid to return to the front in F1.

The Silverstone-based organisation stunned the sport with its remarkable step in performance over the winter that propelled it from a seventh-placed finish in last year’s constructors’ championship to the second-quickest team behind Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso scored six podiums in the first eight races to herald Aston Martin’s arrival onto F1’s top table.

But after Alonso finished runner-up in the Canadian Grand Prix, the team slipped down the pecking order to only fifth quickest, according to Alonso, with Krack ultimately agreeing with his driver on that assessment.

Krack suggested prior to the recent Belgian Grand Prix that “side effects” had materialised from a combination of updates and set-up changes, noticeably affecting the AMR23 in low-speed corners, which had previously been one of the car’s strengths.

Krack remarked that the Hungaroring was “the last data point to confirm that we have maybe not gone in the right direction”.

The sprint weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit was more encouraging as the two-time F1 champion, after spinning out in the sprint, was fifth in the grand prix for his best result for four races courtesy of a set-up change.

Krack at least acknowledged that his team “looked a little bit more competitive than recently” in Belgium and that there was now greater understanding.

“We have really done 24/7 analysis, trying to understand and also trying to do something about it,” said Krack.

“In the short time between Budapest and Spa, there was not so much we could do, but with great credit, we managed to do something.

“Everybody was really flat out, and also after the offs, to prepare the parts again, so great credit to everybody involved.

“It was really, really nice to allow us to now look at this, and then try to improve the car for the next race.”

Krack confirmed that concluding the first part of the campaign on an upbeat note was “very, very important, for everybody involved”.

“They have put in crazy hours over the last weeks,” he said. “It’s always important to realise that hard work pays off, otherwise you get disillusioned, and it becomes more and more difficult.

“That is very, very positive for the team, that working hard together, we can improve the car, but this was only the first step.

“We are still not anywhere near a podium finish. There is much more content we need.”