(Motorsport) Aston Martin have appointed Mike Krack as the new team principal for the Formula 1 team as a replacement for Otmar Szafnauer after a disappointing seventh place finish in the 2021 season. The former BMW chief will be responsible for improving the results in the 2022 season and has the advantage of working with Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel during his previous F1 stint at Sauber.
Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, 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."
Team owner Lawrence Stroll said “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. 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."
Whitmarsh added: "Mike is exactly the right kind of dynamic and modern team principal who, working with our other senior leaders under Lawrence's [Stroll] and my overall direction, as well as with our ever-growing staff of skilled and committed employees, will deliver the Formula 1 world championship success that we at Aston Martin are so determined to achieve."
Aston Martin are also the first Formula 1 team to reveal that their new car launch date will be on Friday, February 10th. The 2022 season will introduce major rule changes with 18-inch wheels and an overhaul of the aerodynamics. The changes are meant to ensure the sport is more competitive with more intense races and new on-track rivalries. Four time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll remain partnered for the Aston Martin Formula 1 team in the 2022 season.
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