Mike Krack's name isn't one that would ring many bells for Formula 1 fans. The engineer, hailing from Luxembourg, has a strong motorsport pedigree, although it's more than a decade since he has spent much time in the F1 paddock. Krack began his motorsport career in 1998, joining BMW as a test engineer. Working there until 2001, he was snapped up by Sauber and worked in data analysis until 2003. He became Felipe Massa's Race Engineer and was part of the process of shaping the Brazilian's career progress throughout 2004 and 2005 as he matured – Massa's performances impressing to the point that Ferrari signed him as Michael Schumacher's teammate for 2006. Back at Sauber, Krack was promoted to the status of Chief Engineer, overseeing the team through their rise as BMW-Sauber from 2006 to 2008. It was at this time that Krack would have first got to work with Sebastian Vettel, now at Aston Martin, as the young German driver carried out testing and practice sessions with the team before making his F1 debut at Indianapolis in 2006. It was in 2008, when Robert Kubica took the team's first win and could have been a legitimate challenger for the title, that BMW as a company made the decision to focus their development on the change of regulations for 2009. Kubica's challenge fell away but, worse, the 2009 car ended up not being particularly competitive either. Krack had already left the building at this point, departing BMW-Sauber in January 2009. He would spend the next 18 months in Formula 3, engineering for Kolles & Heinz Union as well as the Hitech team. But Krack would rekindle his relationship with BMW in 2010 as he joined them in DTM, also in the role of Chief Engineer. It was with BMW that he would spend the next decade, aside from a brief stint with Porsche's LMP1 programme in 2013. His time at Porsche coincided with the preparations of the 919 Hybrid that would go on to be incredibly successful in the following seasons. Since 2014, Krack has gone through various roles with BMW Motorsport, including overseeing their Formula E, IMSA and GT programmes.
Aston Martin the next chapter in Krack's motorsport career
It's this proven background across various disciplines that has caught the eye of Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin F1's team owner, as well as Aston Martin's Group CEO Martin Whitmarsh – himself only a recent signing as Stroll invests heavily into the Aston brand and builds up the squad. "Mike Krack is exactly the right kind of dynamic and modern Team Principal who, working with our other senior leaders under Lawrence's 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," Whitmarsh said. "Having worked in very senior motorsport positions at both BMW and Porsche, backed by an engineering background in Formula 1 with Sauber, Mike possesses a blend of experience and expertise that makes him the ideal choice for us. "He works well with drivers, having prioritised that aspect of his role at BMW in recent years, and also with engineers, since he speaks their language." Stroll, who has previously outlined how he intends to spend the medium-term future building up the team's resources, facilities and personnel, welcomed Krack on board as he faces an entirely new challenge in 2022. "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," Stroll said. "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."
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