Mike Krack named new Aston Martin F1 team principal

2022 F1 season

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Aston Martin have announced former BMW head of motorsport Mike Krack has joined the team as their new team principal.

Krack’s arrival has been confirmed following the departure of previous team principal and CEO Otmar Szafnauer earlier this month.

The newcomer to the team arrives from BMW, where as its head of motorsport Krack was responsible for overseeing the brand’s Formula E and GT racing programmes.

Krack says he is aiming to deliver victories in Formula 1 with his new Silverstone-based team. “Team Silverstone has always impressed me,” he said. “It is full of talented people and real racers. That racer’s culture and values are what is required to succeed in motorsport – I know that and my new colleagues at Aston Martin know it, too. We will work incredibly hard. We want to win. Together, we will.”

He also has previous experience in Formula 1, having worked for a decade with Sauber, before its transition into BMW-Sauber. In 2005, Krack was Felipe Massa’s race engineer at the team before the Brazilian’s move to Ferrari and worked with Sebastian Vettel during the 2006 season. Krack says he is looking forward to being reunited with the four-time world champion driver once more.

“I have been working in motorsport for over 20 years, and worked in Formula One with Seb Vettel in 2006 and 2007 when I was a BMW-Sauber engineer and he was the team’s test driver,” said Krack. “I have huge respect for his speed and ability, and it will be fantastic to be reunited with him.

Lance Stroll is a seriously fast and talented driver, too, with 100 grands prix starts to his name, and I am very much looking forward to working closely with him.”

Aston Martin chairman, Lawrence Stroll, said the appointment of Krack marked a step on the team’s five year plan to win the Formula 1 world championship.

“Winning in Formula 1 is all about bringing together the best efforts of all the principal players – drivers, engineers, mechanics, everyone – and Mike is perfectly placed to do just that,” Stroll said.

“We are hiring brilliant new people every week. Our new factory build is coming along very well. We have a fantastic roster of superb sponsor-partners. We are about to embark on year two of our five-year plan, the objective of which is to win Formula 1 world championships.

“All the ingredients we require are coming together. Mike will play a central and leading role, reporting to Martin Whitmarsh and leading our technical and operational functions, our collective aim being to fulfil those lofty ambitions. We are on our way.”

Earlier today, Aston Martin became the first of the ten F1 teams to announce the launch date of their 2022 car, the AMR22, which will be unveiled on 10 February.

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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43 comments on “Mike Krack named new Aston Martin F1 team principal”

  1. Yet another F1 returnee, like Steiner, Seidl, Capito, etc., although an entirely unfamiliar name to me.

    1. Sooner or later will hear about Abiteboul or Boullier…. Hope not.

      First time I hear Krack’s name. At least Vettel will have someone on his side.

  2. The 5 year stroll ambition project is taking off in a new gear..

  3. Is it me or he looks like Jacques Villeneuve

    1. He looks like what Jacques Villeneuve would look like if people took Jacques Villeneuve seriously. Which is a step up on Jacques Villeneuve.

      *In all seriousness, he does look a bit like a more serious version of Jacques

    2. Reminds me more of Jacques Meoff, personally…

  4. I heard Stroll has also moved in to secure Amanda Hugankiss and I P Freely

    1. I love how it only took 4 comments for this to begin

  5. I would like to show Lawrence Stroll, Mike Crack. Snigger…

  6. Eileen Dover and Mike Crack suddenly appeared.

    1. It’s because Mike Hunt wasn’t available.

    2. I suppose Phil McCracken, Lars Paggage and Wilma Fingerdo were busy this week

      1. Well all I know is Mike Oxlong

  7. Are you saying Jaques Villeneuve looks like Mike Crack?

  8. Moe’s Tavern, Moe speaking.
    Is a Mr Krack there, first name Mike?
    Hold on I’ll check.
    Mike Krack, I’m looking for Mike Krack.
    Come on guys, has anyone seen Mike Krack?

    1. Seriously, why wouldn’t you go by Michael?

      1. petebaldwin (@)
        14th January 2022, 15:46

        You’d have thought so wouldn’t you!? I just showed his story to my wife and apparently she had a teacher called Phil McCracken. Surely you’d go with Phillip….

        1. So fill up instead of fill? Yeah, much better.

    2. Lazenby is going to have to apologise for the bad language every time they interview this guy.

    1. Patrick Chapman
      14th January 2022, 14:38

      Mi Key Crack?

    2. I believe Aston yelled YES MIKEY

  9. Let’s see if he can krack that nut.

  10. petebaldwin (@)
    14th January 2022, 15:39

    He’s not called Mike Krack…. Have you published the April 1st article too early or something? That’s brightened my day right up – I can’t wait to hear the commentators and pundits deal with this next year

  11. Finally I have seen Mike Crack without needing a mirror.

  12. Oh dear, oh dear. I commented on the round-up this morning about Budkowski’s unfortunate photograph. Seems he now has some competition for most unfortunate team principal situation.

    And I dread to think what’ll happen if Crofty (or anyone else mind you, can never trust Jack Nicholls to keep a straight face) ever butcher’s his name.

  13. Lee Keybaum will be the new technical director, Anita Bath the new marketing manager, and Will Easauf the new chief aerodynamicist.

  14. “Lance Stroll is a seriously fast and talented driver”, according to Mike Krack. Yeh sounds about right.

    1. The interview:
      Lawrence Stroll – “Thank you for your interest in the role, Mr Krack. I note from your CV, you’ve worked in F1 before… please tell me which drivers you worked with?”
      Krack – “Seb Vettel amongst others, sir”
      (Stroll writes ✔️ on his notepad)
      Lawrence Stroll – “Are you aware of my son Lance?” ​
      Krack – “Yes sir, he’s a seriously fast and talented driver”
      (Stroll writes ✔️✔️✔️ on his notepad)
      Lawrence Stroll – “Mr Krack you have the job, can you start Monday morning?”

      Sky will have to be very careful when they do the inevitable pit-wall interviews 😂

      Just be thankful his name’s not Mike Rotchburns

      🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  15. I knew that, sooner or later, a Krack would appear in Aston Martin’s management restructure plans.

    1. I don’t agree, he is going to do a Kracking job…

  16. Oh no, this thread makes me wonder why I bother with this site. Let’s tease someone’s name like we’re 6 years old…

    1. tbf most of the commenters can’t be much older.

    2. It may be a bit childish, but at the end of the day we sit for hours watching cars drive in circles. We’re not exactly going to be models of maturity.

      Anyone (or at least anyone who’s first language is English) who doesn’t find the name “Mike Krack” funny could do with a sense of humour checkup…

    3. I’d take this over the corona-doom everywhere else on the net at the moment!

    4. I hold my hands up as one of the commenters.

      I get your point, however it is misbehavior with (I hope) significantly less malicious intent than seems to be the norm.

    5. Would you rather we continue endlessly debating the Abu Dhabi fiasco in yet another thread with the same set of Max and Lewis fanatics?

      Its the off-season. Let people goof around before the serious business begins in 6-8 weeks.

    6. It’s better than everyone ripping each others heads off like they have over the last 24 months

    7. petebaldwin (@)
      15th January 2022, 17:30

      Sorry Grandad. I promise we’ll be better behaved in future.

  17. I had a foreman called Albert Ross many years ago.
    That’s not really as funny is it …… sorry.

    Good luck Mr Krack, you are going to have an uphill battle but at least funding shouldn’t be too much of a worry.

  18. I was first saw the news on a post made by unofficial F1 channel on YouTube and through it was some troll by Strolls

    Came to racefans to check if it was a troll but no Stroll was serious and LOL

  19. I hope, he does a Kracking job.

  20. He’ll need to….Aston’s have lost so many staff on the performance side, with more working their notice, there barely anyone left. Not a happy camp at all.

Comments are closed.