Tag: Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team

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Mike Krack Joins Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team

The Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team announced on Friday that they appointed former Head of BMW’s Motorsport Operations Mike Krack as their new Team Principal ahead of the start of the 2022 FIA Formula One world championship season.

Krack joins the Silverstone-based outfit following spells in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Krack who spent time with BMW Sauber commented on his appointment saying:

It is a thrill and an honour to have been appointed to the position of Team Principal of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, and I am very grateful to Lawrence [Stroll] and Martin [Whitmarsh] for giving me such a fantastic opportunity.

“Aston Martin is one of the greatest automotive brands in the world, and to have been asked to play a leading role in delivering the on-track Formula One success that such an illustrious name so richly deserves is a challenge that I plan to embrace with energy and enthusiasm.

“I have been working in motorsport for over 20 years, and worked in Formula One with Seb Vettel in 2006 and 2007 when I was a BMW-Sauber engineer and he was the team’s test driver. I have huge respect for his speed and ability, and it will be fantastic to be reunited with him. Lance Stroll is a seriously fast and talented driver, too, with 100 Grands Prix starts to his name, and I am very much looking forward to working closely with him.

“Team Silverstone has always impressed me. It is full of talented people and real racers. That racer’s culture and values are what is required to succeed in motorsport – I know that and my new colleagues at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team know it, too. We will work incredibly hard. We want to win. Together, we will.

Krack will report directly to Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team group Chief Executive Officer Martin Whitmarsh who stated:

“Mike Krack is exactly the right kind of dynamic and modern Team Principal who, working with our other senior leaders under Lawrence’s [Stroll] and my overall direction, as well as with our ever-growing staff of skilled and committed employees, will deliver the Formula One World Championship success that we at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team are so determined to achieve.

“Having worked in very senior motorsport positions at both BMW and Porsche, backed by an engineering background in Formula One with Sauber, Mike possesses a blend of experience and expertise that makes him the ideal choice for us.

“He works well with drivers, having prioritised that aspect of his role at BMW in recent years, and also with engineers, since he speaks their language.

Lawrence Stroll, Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda and the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team said:

Winning in Formula One is all about bringing together the best efforts of all the principal players – drivers, engineers, mechanics, everyone – and Mike is perfectly placed to do just that.

“We are hiring brilliant new people every week. Our new factory build is coming along very well. We have a fantastic roster of superb sponsor-partners. We are about to embark on year two of our five-year plan, the objective of which is to win Formula One World Championships.

“All the ingredients we require are coming together. Mike will play a central and leading role, reporting to Martin Whitmarsh and leading our technical and operational functions, our collective aim being to fulfil those lofty ambitions. We are on our way.

The Silverstone-based outfit will field an unchanged driver line-up for the upcoming 2022 season with both four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll returning to the team.

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Aston Martin To Launch New Car On February 10

The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team became the first Grand Prix outfit to announce their launch date for their 2022 car.

The new car will be launched on Thursday February 10 at the Aston Martin HQ in Gaydon, UK.

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Aston Martin Announce Szafnauer Departure

Otmar, Portrait, TS-Live, Istanbul Park, GP2116a, F1, GP, Turkey Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal and CEO, Aston Martin F1, is interviewed

The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team announced on Wednesday that Team Principal and CEO Otmar Szafnauer has left the team.

In a statement, the Silverstone-based outfit said:

Otmar Szafnauer has left the Company and his role at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team will be managed within the leadership team until a replacement is appointed.
We would like to thank him for the service provided to the team over the past 12 years and wish him well for the future as he will undoubtedly take on new challenges.
Fortunately, we are led and managed by a strong group of individuals, and we are comfortable to take a little time to explore options before announcing a new team structure. The focus of the team is currently
on preparing the most competitive car possible for the start of the 2022 season.

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The Characteristics Of The Track Did Not Suit Our Car

Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team Principal and CEO Otmar Szafnauer says that it was clear by their qualifying result that their car did suit the characteristics of the Jeddah Corniche circuit as Sebastian Vettel starts the race 17th while Lance Stroll starts 18th.

Speaking about the action, Szafnauer said:

“It is pretty obvious that the unusual characteristics of this very fast circuit did not suit our car in qualifying today. However, Sebastian and Lance did their best. This race will be a tough one for us, because overtaking is unlikely to be easy here, but we will crunch the data this evening in an effort to come up with an optimal race strategy all the same, and do our level best tomorrow.”

Sebastian Vettel commented saying:

“I was a little surprised that we were unable to make Q2 because I felt my last lap was good – even though I was held up at the end of the second sector, which cost me a few tenths and a chance to progress. There was a lot of traffic out there, especially at the end of laps, which complicated things further. I think it is clear that this track does not suit our car in qualifying trim, but the positive is that our race pace has traditionally been stronger this season, so we will see what we can do tomorrow. It hurts to qualify in P17 but, if we have an eventful race tomorrow, we can try to make our way up the field.”

Lance Stroll was really disappointing following qualifying saying:

“I am really disappointed to have ended up in P18 because traffic at the end of the session ruined my qualifying. It was like a parking lot and there was nothing I could do. As a result, I was not able to put in a flying lap when the track and tyres were at their optimum and it proved very costly. I think we would have had enough to make it into Q2 otherwise. We will go away and review to see if there is anything we could have done differently. We have never raced here before, so we will have to see how the Grand Prix plays out tomorrow and try to make up some places.”

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Vettel In The Top Ten On Day One In Saudi Arabia

Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team’s Sebastian Vettel was tenth fastest in the second practice session, this time under the lights as Formula One concluded their first day of track activity at the Jeddah circuit ahead of this weekend’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Speaking following today’s on-track action, Vettel said;

“It is a fast and fun track to drive, but it is difficult to hook up a lap. I was able to get into a rhythm this afternoon and felt confident in the car, but it became more tricky in the night-time conditions. We were exploring the limits more and trying a few things, so we need to review tonight and find a good direction for the rest of the weekend. Tomorrow will be an interesting challenge because it is a long circuit with a lot of corners taken flat, so there is little time to breathe and no room for errors. The timing of the laps in qualifying will also be crucial and I am excited to take on the challenge.”

An Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team spokesman confirmed on Friday that the reports that Sebastian Vettel was asked to remove his rainbow trainers ahead of the drivers press conference were fake news. Matt Bishop tweeted:

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Aston Martin Thank Fans For Checking On Them Following Small Facility Fire

The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team have thanked their fans for checking on them after a small fire was reported at their Brixworth facility in the UK.

The Silverstone-based outfit who are currently in Saudi Arabia for this weekend’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tweeted: