With his two years as Aston Martin team principal (the position was made official on 14 January 2022) Mike Krack could be the second longest-serving in his role at the start of the 2024 season. The Luxembourg engineer says he is surprised by the team principals' waltz that has characterized him in recent months, but he maintains that he does not feel any more pressure than usual.
All attention is focused on the first steps of the AMR24, but the press conference that followed the presentation of the new single-seater was indicative of what will be the catchphrase (at least in the first part of the season) to which it will be called upon to respond. We are obviously talking about Fernando Alonso, and about a renewal that seemed obvious until a few weeks ago but which in light of the latest sensational market moves might not be. As always, a lot will depend on the competitiveness of the car, and the first to know is Krack himself.
How was the winter break?
“It's getting shorter and shorter. We tried to focus on all areas starting from last year's car. AMR23 allowed us to have a fantastic season, full of positives, but we left no stone unturned, trying to examine every aspect. We started with the single-seater, and then analyzed all the other aspects, operations on the track, reliability and everything else, the goal is to take a step forward in all directions. It has been an intense period, we hope we have done enough and we are sure that we will have very strong competition.”
Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Aston Martin
The single-seater presented a few days ago by Racing Bull seems to show many points in common with last year's RB19. Do you think the intellectual property aspect of individual teams is important?
“F1 is a constructors' championship and the FIA has clear regulations, Article 17 clearly establishes what is allowed to be done on the technical front and what is prohibited. It is the FIA's responsibility to ensure that the single-seaters are all built and designed in compliance with the manufacturer's intellectual property, we must trust the work of the International Federation. It is not up to us to speculate and make accusations without having the elements in hand.”
Last year you expressed your intention to extend Fernando's contract which expires at the end of this season. Do you think it's a more difficult goal today considering the availability of a steering wheel at Mercedes?
“Yes, the market started much earlier than we expected. We knew it would be a year with a lot of speculation, but beyond everything we have a great relationship with Fernando and we love his presence in the team, he is a very important member of the team with whom there is a very open and mutual relationship. trust. In light of all this we would like to continue with Fernando into 2025 and beyond.”
How confident are you that you will still be able to have him with you next year?
“We have two great drivers who are very integrated into the team, and we will do everything we can to keep them. I understand the question, as I said the market is in full swing, but and we are quite confident that we can achieve what we want, which is to continue with both riders in 2025.”
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How do you rate Lance's last season?
“Lance has had a rough start to 2023 due to injuries. We admired and appreciated the fighting spirit he showed in that far from simple period. We had a fairly competitive car, and despite the injuries he put in some excellent performances. We are certain that when we provide our drivers with a competitive single-seater, the expected results will arrive.”
Will Drugovich's involvement in the team be more intense than last season?
“Felipe is an F2 champion and represents great value for our team today. He was here last week in the simulator and has always guaranteed us a very valuable contribution. In addition to this, he will be one of our reserve drivers, especially in the initial phase of the season he will be present on the track many race weekends and will ensure a very important contribution thanks to his work on the simulator. It is undoubtedly an added value for the team.”
Are there any alarms related to the situation in the Middle East? There is also talk of an increase in prices related to logistics.
“We are in constant contact with F1 and according to their security consultants there are currently no real concerns related to the events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. We have to trust F1, and that's what we're doing. I am not aware of any further problems in terms of logistics, the material was shipped at the beginning of December and so far I have not been informed of any problems.”
There have been many changes in the role of team principal, a number of turnovers that are reminiscent of football. Is there a little extra pressure? At the start of the 2024 World Cup you could be second in the ranking for length of service in your role.
“I too was shocked when I recently read the statistics regarding seniority in the role! But that's not something that worries me, but in the end what matters is how competitive the ARM24 will be, and that's what we're all focused on. We have a very long season ahead of us, during which great evolution and a lot of work await us. We are happy to be on track on Tuesday, everything else, honestly, is secondary.”
Watch: F1 Videos | Introducing Aston Martin: the AMR24
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