Aston Martin has appointed a new Team Principal who will be taking the reigns ahead of the 2022 season.
The news comes after Otmar Szafnauer’s departure from the team was confirmed at the beginning of the month.
On January 5, Aston Martin revealed Szafnauer had left the team and that his role would “be managed within the leadership team until a replacement is appointed”.
This week, the team announced that Mike Krack would take over the role with immediate effect. He was previously leading BMW’s global motorsport operation, having worked for the company since 2014.
According to a statement released by the team, “Mike also worked in a senior motorsport role for Porsche. He has worked for a decade in Formula One before, for Sauber then BMW-Sauber.”
Speaking about his new role at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, Mike Krack, Team Principal, said: “It is a thrill and an honour to have been appointed to the position of Team Principal of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, and I am very grateful to Lawrence [Stroll] and Martin [Whitmarsh] for giving me such a fantastic opportunity.
“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 One 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 One 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 One™ Team know it, too. We will work incredibly hard. We want to win. Together, we will.”
