Mike Krack replaced former team principal Otmar Szafnauer at the Aston Martin F1 team ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
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New Aston Martin F1 team principal Mike Krack is confident the team have everything needed to become a major player in Formula 1.
Krack replaced Otmar Szafnauer at the team ahead of the 2022 F1 season, joining the team from BMW, where he was the Motorsport Director.
And for him, it wasn’t a hard choice to join F1. In his own words, it’s the place anyone associated with motorsport wants to be.
“I think Formula 1 is like the Champions League. And every professional football player wants to play Champions League,” he told F1.com.
“It’s the same for motorsport, [whether you’re] an engineer or driver. So, from that point of view, it’s the ultimate place to be.
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“At Aston Martin, yes, the pressure is there, but I think you have to turn that into positive pressure. Yes, we want to succeed.
“We have to succeed, but also, we’ve spent so much time and so much budget, and it’s not for being second or participating.
“Obviously, you cannot switch and be… winning from the first day. But at the end of the day, it’s a huge challenge but it’s also a huge opportunity that we have now.
“With that brand, the Aston Martin brand, we have all the ingredients that you need to be successful.”
Krack also discussed how he got the job in the first place. He was recovering from a COVID-19 infection when he got a phone call.
“I was at Petit Le Mans – and I probably caught Covid at Petit Le Mans. I was sitting in my home office for two weeks quarantining after testing positive [for Covid-19]. Then I got a call from a headhunting agency.”
Initially there was no confirmation on who was offering the job. But it soon became clear he was dealing with the Aston Martin F1 team.
“I have to be honest, I was [flattered] by the opportunity that I was offered. There were several meetings with Martin [Whitmarsh, Aston Martin Group Chief Executive Officer] and with Lawrence [Stroll, Executive Chairman] until we came to a point where we shook hands and we said we can do this.”
He also spoke about the team’s goals for the upcoming season.
“First of all, we have to have a very, very competitive car. This is key. So, we will have to concentrate all of our effort to make the car as quick as possible and to develop it at the highest possible rate.
“If we manage to do that, we will be in a very good position at the end of the year. We must not forget that we also have very, very strong competition and we have to respect what they are doing.
“But we have to try to be better in these areas and see at the end of the year where we are. If we can make this comment here out in Abu Dhabi, I will be a very happy man.”
