Aston Martin F1 chief reveals hidden ADVANTAGE of billionaire owner

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Aston Martin

Aston Martin chief reveals hidden ADVANTAGE of billionaire owner

The green machine have regressed somewhat in 2024

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 4 August 2024 15:57

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Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has claimed that the setup of the team's hierarchy offers them an advantage over their rivals.

Krack's team is owned and headed up by billionaire Lawrence Stroll, theoretically giving the team a single-minded clarity of vision and direction from the very top of the organisational chart.

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Many other teams are run more by committee, or at least by means of more traditional hierarchies with less hands-on and all-powerful owners.

Stroll's strong position in the team has been reflected in his son's continued employment as Aston Martin's second driver, now halfway through his fourth season in a row without a single podium finish – while his team-mates in that time have racked up nine between them.

Mike Krack has overseen improvements at Aston Martin

Lance Stroll's grid spot has been hotly debated

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Krack insisted in an interview with the Mirror this week that Stroll's top-down management style allowed the team to stay agile, calling it an 'asset' and insisting that he prefers working under this regime.

"When you come from being a smaller team, there are opportunities because small teams can react faster, small teams are very agile in taking decisions," he said.

"We are fortunate, we are not a corporate structure, we are not a corporate organisation - we have one man who can decide very fast. And if we can preserve that, it could be an asset."

Asked if it's possible to build a consistent contender this way, he replied: "I think yes, if we maintain the structure that we have now. The board is one man, and it's really much, much easier. I've been in a corporate world before and I think I have a very good [position from which to] compare. I prefer the current one."