Gaydon UK January 15 ANI Aston Martin confirmed on Friday that former BMW motorsport head Mike Krack will be their Formula 1 Team Principal, taking over from the recently-departed Otmar Szafnauer.
Since 2014, Krack has been in charge of BMW's global motorsport operation, which includes Formula E, GT, and IMSA, as well as overseeing their expansion into the new LMDh category. Krack spent a year and a half with Porsche as Head of Track Engineering for their LMP 1 project, working alongside current McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl.
He is not an F 1 rookie, with Krack having previously worked with Sauber and BMW Sauber - including working with current Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel when he was the latter's fresh-faced test driver.
Krack said it was a thrill and an honor to have been appointed team principal of Aston Martin. I am very grateful to Lawrence Stroll and Martin Whitmarsh for giving me such a wonderful opportunity. Aston Martin is one of the greatest automotive brands in the world and I plan to embrace this challenge with energy and enthusiasm because I'm asked to play a leading role in delivering the on-track Formula One success that such an illustrious name deserves. Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll said that Winning in Formula One is all about bringing together the best efforts of all the principal players - drivers, engineers, mechanics, everyone - and Mike is perfectly placed to do that after Szafnauer parted ways earlier this month. Stroll stated that the goal is to win the Formula One World Championships and that we are about to embark on year two of our five-year plan.