What to expect from Aston Martin’s new F1 team principal

The former BMW motorsport boss officially began his new role on Tuesday and will make his first appearance in the F1 paddock for Aston Martin during next week’s second pre-season test at Bahrain. 

Krack will work under the direction of team owner Lawrence Stroll and Group CEO Martin Whitmarsh in a restructuring of the Aston Martin team as part of its five-year plan to become a leading player in F1. 

The 49-year-old boasts extensive experience in motorsport management at BMW and Porsche and also spent a period working in F1 as an engineer for Sauber between 2001 and 2009. 

Speaking to Crash.net and other media in his first interview in his new role, Krack said he aims to utilise all of his management strengths from his wealth of experience gained across various motorsport series including F1, Formula E, and the World Endurance Championship.  

“I think I manage to bring people together, to give them trust, and I think I can manage to form teams that work well together,” he said. 

“This is not a five-minute job, to have the individuals, because you can bring very, very bright individuals and they never work well together. Sometimes it’s more important to have team work than the ultimate individuals. 

“It’s this fine balance between having the good people and also having them together. Because the team is everything in F1. We know we have a large headcount and we all have to pull on the same side of the rope, playing in the same goal, everyone who is involved. 

“So it is a matter of bringing them together, having the right spirit and having the right attitude. I think in the past that helped me in my career, and the engineering background is something that enables you to really understand what’s happening and that you focus on the right areas.” 

Krack has no plans to make wholesale changes or bring in people he knows and trusts from his previous jobs, insisting he wants to keep intact the fundamental DNA that ‘Team Silverstone’ has built its F1 legacy on. 

The Force India/Racing Point/Aston Martin operation is, after all, a team that is renowned for punching above its weight with limited resources, highlighted by finishing fourth in the constructors’ championship in 2016, 2017 and 2020. 

“I think you have to approach this in a humble way,” Krack explained. “You have to first come here and understand how this team is working, because we must not forget Team Silverstone is a great team. 

“For all these years it always over-performed to its possibilities, and it’s important to find out where are the strengths in the team and where we can make it stronger, where we can improve on some of the weaknesses it’s having. 

“At the moment I have a lot of discussions with individuals - with team leaders, with department leaders - to understand how the team is run, how the system is operating. 

“And I think it would be foolish to come here on the first day and try and turn everything upside down and rearrange. The team has a good record, it needs a couple of things to make the next steps, but it is not by turning everything upside down that we will manage that. 

“So I take a conservative approach there, try to learn as much as possible, try to bring my philosophy into it, try to bring my thinking into it, which is always positive teamwork because motivation comes by itself. 

“The people here are extremely motivated, you can believe me - so it’s a matter of channeling this properly.” 

Following the Silverstone-outfit’s rebrand to Aston Martin, the goal posts have moved. Finances are no longer an issue and F1’s rules reset presents a key opportunity for the team to push further up the grid after the disappointment of slipping down to P7 in 2021. 

Aston Martin is embarking on year two of Stroll’s five-year plan to transform his team into F1 championship challengers and winners, and Krack’s arrival marks the latest in a series of major signings that have included the capture of new technical director Dan Fallows from Red Bull. 

Aston Martin’s lofty plans include the construction of a new F1 campus at Silverstone that will feature a state-of-the-art windtunnel, with the main building scheduled to be completed by late 2022 or early 2023. 

Five-year F1 plans haven’t always worked out. Renault/Alpine still appears someway off its goal to re-establish itself as a winning force in F1, a goal it initially set when it returned to full works status in 2016. 

Krack himself has similar experience from the BMW Sauber era. Following a bright start to the 2008 season and after Robert Kubica had taken the team's first F1 victory by leading a 1-2 at Canada, the team took the unusual decision to stop developing its car to focus on the 2009 regulations.

At the time of his win, Kubica was leading the championship and BMW sat second. Kubica eventually slipped to fourth, while BMW finished the year third.

BMW's gamble to priotise 2009 ultimately backfired and a disillusioned Krack left the team. Krack can see "blatant" parallels with what is happening at Aston Martin but this time, he is determined to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated. 

“We are a lean management structure and we can make decisions very quickly and be very flexible,” he explained. “So we have big possibilities and we have a quick decision path. 

“I think this is an asset that not everybody is having, and obviously you cannot plan success, this is clear, but you can put everything in place to achieve it.

“At BMW, we also had a five year plan at the time. It was handled in a very corporate manner, which is something we must avoid at all costs here. 

"So I think at this stage we have everything we need, but we need to make the right decisions and it doesn’t come by itself - that we have to be very aware of. 

“It requires hard work over many days, many weeks and many months.” 

So is Krack feeling the pressure of the task ahead of him? 

“I think Formula 1 is like the Champions League and every professional football player wants to play in the Champions League,” he said. “It’s the same for motorsport with an engineer or a driver. 

“So from that point of view it’s the ultimate place to be. In terms of the ambition at Aston Martin, yes the pressure is there but I think you have to turn it into positive pressure. 

“Yes we want to succeed - we have to succeed - but also we spend so much time and so much budget, it’s not for being second or participating. 

“Obviously you cannot switch and be performing or winning from the first day - others have tried that for a long time. 

“At the end of the day it's a huge challenge but it’s also a huge opportunity that we have now and with the Aston brand, I think we have all the ingredients that you need to be successful.”