Aston Martin

Key team principal admits being TURNED DOWN 10 times in F1

Mike Krack admits to being rejected multiple times during F1 job hunt

Tyler Foster

Saturday 19 August 2023 11:57

Aston Martin’s team principal, Mike Krack, admitted that he was turned down 'at least ten times' while applying for different roles in Formula 1.

With his vast previous experience from senior roles within motorsport, Aston Martin made the decision to seek Krack out for the position of F1 team principal. Following the departure of Otmar Szafnauer to Alpine, Krack was announced on 14 January 2022.

Krack has since overseen the recent rise of Aston Martin’s F1 team, who currently sit third in the constructors’ championship. In his first season, the British team finished seventh. However, since acquiring the services of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to partner Lance Stroll, results have improved.

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Speaking in a video posted on Aston Martin’s X (previously known as Twitter) account, Krack was asked what his biggest bit of advice was for someone looking to get into the industry.

”Don't do it. Not really. If you really want to do that you have to be passionate about it, use every opportunity you can. Be persistent - I was turned down at least ten times applying for jobs in Formula 1.”

Clearing out the inbox! 📧

Mike Krack is back, reacting and responding to more of your replies to his exclusive I / AM emails. This time, Mike gives his advice for getting into the motorsport industry and explores some novelty additions to the AMR23... pic.twitter.com/tsumSbgZuZ
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) August 16, 2023

Aston Martin need to close the gap

Things started out so strong for Aston Martin but now face a tough second half

While the fortunes of Aston Martin have seen a sharp turn this season, recent performances may indicate that the team will face an uphill battle to stay third in the constructors’ championship.

Six podium visits from the opening eight rounds gave Krack more than enough reason to be happy. The AMR23 proved to be one of the only cars capable of challenging the Red Bulls early on. Unfortunately, the team have struggled to further develop, and have lost ground to their rivals. Speaking after the Belgian GP, Krack admitted as much.

“And at the same time, we had some of our competitors making huge progress and this leads to dropping down in the pecking order.

“[Belgium] was the first step in trying to halt this trend, we brought some last-minute upgrades here and it seems to have helped a little bit, so we are quite happy for that.

“From our side we will try to improve the car further. There are a couple of things planned for Zandvoort, and we need to close that gap again.”