Aston Martin announces ex-BMW motor sport boss Mike Krack as new team principal

Former BMW motor sport boss Mike Krack has been appointed as the new team principal of Aston Martin the team has confirmed.

Krack has previous Formula 1 experience dating back to the BMW Sauber team where he was a chief engineer up until 2009. More recently, he was head of race and test engineering, operations and organisation for BMW until being appointed as head of its motor sports operations last year.

The appointment comes after the departure of Otmar Szafnauer, confirmed earlier this month by AM ahead of the new season.

“It is a thrill and an honour to have been appointed to the position of Team Principal of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 Team, and I am very grateful to Lawrence [Stroll] and Martin [Whitmarsh] for giving me such a fantastic opportunity,” Krack said.

“Aston Martin is one of the greatest automotive brands in the world, and to have been asked to play a leading role in delivering the on-track Formula 1 success that such an illustrious name so richly deserves is a challenge that I plan to embrace with energy and enthusiasm.

“I have been working in motorsport for over 20 years, and worked in Formula 1 with Seb Vettel in 2006 and 2007 when I was a BMW Sauber engineer and he was the team’s test driver. 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.

“Team Silverstone has always impressed me. 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 Cognizant Formula 1 Team know it, too. We will work incredibly hard. We want to win. Together, we will.”

Krack was also involved in Porsche’s World Endurance Championship efforts between 2012 and 2014 before moving on to BMW and heading up the manufacturer’s Formula E, GT and IMSA programmes.

“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,” Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll said of the appointment.

“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.”