Mike Krack, known for his engineering prowess, was blindsided when Lawrence Stroll appointed him team principal of Aston Martin F1.
Mike Krack may have been the first to be surprised by his appointment to the strategic position of team principal.
The Luxembourger has now stepped down from his role as Aston Martin’s team principal. He has been replaced by Andy Cowell but will remain with the team as director of track operations.
Krack is one of the team principals who came from an engineering background.
He began his career in 1998 as a test engineer at BMW before joining Sauber three years later, gradually climbing the ranks.
He later worked with Felipe Massa as a race engineer before becoming chief engineer. He left F1 at the end of 2009, taking on various roles at BMW and Porsche, where he led track engineering for their World Endurance Championship team.
But how did he transition from engineering to management? The shift began with his return to BMW. Between 2014 and 2022, he oversaw the brand’s programs in Formula E, IMSA, and GT racing.
His career then took an unexpected turn when Lawrence Stroll, owner of Aston Martin, called to offer him a position within the F1 team.
The surprising part? Krack was convinced Stroll would offer him a technical or engineering role! He was caught off guard when he learned he was being offered the team principal position.
“I was expecting an engineering role, as I had held engineering positions in F1 before,” Krack explained in an interview with Crash.
“I held engineering roles for a long time, even after my F1 stint. Management responsibilities only came in the past two or three years. That’s why I thought this was mainly the reason I had been chosen.”
“Then I realized it wasn’t an engineering role, and humbly, I thought: ‘Wow, this is a huge task.’ But sometimes you have to seize opportunities and ask yourself, ‘Am I ready to step out of my comfort zone?’ Because there are many areas where you feel less at ease.”
“Engineering, without sounding arrogant, when you’ve done it for so long… you know your benchmarks, you know what makes a car fast and what needs to be done. But in a team leadership role, there are many other tasks.”
In his management approach at Aston Martin F1, Krack said he aimed to be “authentic,” starting with his employees.
“I think you have to be authentic. You have to be credible and authentic,” he continued.
“Above all, you need to have respect for everyone and lead by example. I can’t ask everyone to be there at 8 a.m. and show up at 10 myself. I can’t ask people to be prepared for a meeting and arrive completely unprepared.”
“So, if you lead by example, it’s much easier. I’ve always admired certain leaders I’ve encountered throughout my career because they led by example, and that’s what I try to follow.”
Two key figures shaped his management approach: Willy Rampf, former Sauber technical director, and Peter Sauber, founder of the team.
“A very good example is Willy Rampf. He was technical director at Sauber at the time. And Peter Sauber—they inspired me a lot with their strong management.”
“No panic, a calm approach, but with firmness. If Peter or Willy said, ‘We’re doing this’ or ‘We’re going in this direction,’ then that’s the direction we took.”
“There was a lot of thought behind decisions, but once they were made, there weren’t five changes of course.”
“That gave us great security and a clear direction. ‘Here’s what we need to do, here’s what we need to achieve.’ Everything was clear, and everyone knew what they had to do.”
A boring personality?
It’s not offensive to say that Mike Krack left less of an impression than other team principals (like, for example, Günther Steiner).
This isn’t surprising, as Krack describes himself as “a normal person,” who is “humble,” “family-oriented,” and perhaps even “a bit boring.”
“Sometimes I come back between races, and people ask me, ‘What did you do this weekend?’”
“Well, I brought my kids to school, picked them up from practice, did the grocery shopping. Real life.”
“I had a barbecue with friends, went karting with my kids. Or I went to the sports field to watch my son play football and my daughter do pole vaulting—I watch them, I cheer them on.”
“Nothing spectacular, but that’s what I love.”
However, with 24 Grands Prix a year, Aston Martin F1’s new track director will find it difficult to take his kids to the park every weekend.
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Engineer to Boss: Krack’s Unexpected Journey at Aston Martin Engineer to Boss: Krack’s Unexpected Journey at Aston Martin Engineer to Boss: Krack’s Unexpected Journey at Aston Martin
