Aston Martin has announced the replacement of Mike Krack as team principal, but the British team will allow him to retain a leading role in Formula 1 racing after a disappointing 2024 season.
Team officials clarified Friday that Krack, who has been team principal since 2022, will take on a new role as chief track manager, with the aim of “getting the maximum performance out of the car on the circuit.
Managing director Andy Cowell, who led Mercedes’ engine program during its run of titles in the 2010s, will now serve as team principal.
Cowell joined the team last year and became general manager in October. Krack’s team on the ground will report to Cowell, as will staff at Aston Martin’s headquarters in England.
Officials at Aston Martin, whose main drivers are Quebecer Lance Stroll and Spaniard Fernando Alonso, explained that this change was made to ensure “clarity of leadership and as part of an evolution towards a more linear”.
-Aston Martin was fifth in the constructors’ standings in 2024, the same position as in 2023. However, with Aston Martin aiming to become a championship team in the future, the season was widely seen as a step backwards, as it has lost ground to more successful rivals such as McLaren and Ferrari.
Alonso has been on the podium eight times for Aston Martin in 2023, but the team’s best result in 2024 was fifth place at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. For his part, Stroll’s best finish was a sixth place at the Australian Grand Prix.
The organizational shake-up also precedes the arrival in March of top car designer Adrian Newey. He left Red Bull last year and will have the title “directing technical partner”.
