Krack seeks clarity on Newey talks amid contract caution

Aston Martin F1 is exploring legal boundaries with Adrian Newey while avoiding any breach of contract during his notice period.

Mike Krack, Aston Martin F1’s team principal, seeks clarity on the permitted communications with Adrian Newey before his official start in March 2025. The Luxembourg native is keen to avoid breaching any rules related to Newey’s notice period.

“I’m not sure if we’re even allowed to exchange words,” Krack said. “I need to check with our legal department. I think we have to be very careful with these matters. We don’t want to face any legal issues down the line. That wouldn’t be right.”

As his team faces challenges this year, Krack refuses to blame it on the wind tunnel, since Mercedes also uses the same facility. “I think that would be too easy an excuse. Another team is using the same wind tunnel with even less time in it. So, it’s not an excuse.”

While he acknowledges it might play a part in the performance gap, Krack doesn’t want to rely on that argument. “It’s possible, but we’re still far behind that team. It may be a factor for them. It may be a factor for us, but I think with the same tool, we should be doing better.”

Regardless, the wind tunnel debate is nearing its end, as Aston Martin’s own facility will be ready early next year. Krack, however, outlines the challenges this will bring.

“If you’re a team in the process of building, it’s not just about installing the wind tunnel, but also having the right technology, methodology, and testing procedures. The same applies to simulation. We’ve been a customer team for many years.”

“You have to build all these things in parallel, but if that’s the path you choose, you can’t use it as an excuse later. You have this part [the wind tunnel] to develop, but you also have a car to develop, and you can’t use one to excuse the other.”