Cowell already making an impact at Aston Martin F1, says Krack

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has hailed the immediate impact of Andy Cowell as the recently appointed group CEO is “very clear” on what he likes.

Hired from Mercedes AMG High-Performance Powertrains, where he had served as the managing director since 2013, Cowell was announced as part of the team’s “ongoing journey to become Formula 1 world championship contenders”.

In order to get acquainted with the team’s working practices trackside, Cowell attended the 2024 F1 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, while he has also been brought up to speed on how Aston Martin utilises its wind tunnel.

Asked of the job Cowell has done since his October induction, Krack told Autosport: “I think it has been pretty smooth so far. Andy is very clear if he wants it like this or like that.”

He added: “It’s about discussing, ‘what do we have to do first?’ What is first? And it’s obviously performance first. Because we always call it the sausage machine.

“When the parts are defined, the sausage machine delivers them, and we have made so much progress in so many areas of the team.

“But you’re always judged on the performance on the track. So, how quickly you bring your upgrades or how quickly you do things, or how you go efficiently about suppliers or commercial – this is all secondary in Formula 1.

“You’re just judged on how you deliver on track. So, we have to focus on performance and I think Andy realised that very quickly.

“He also realised that other areas are well set up and well operating. But the key thing is, ‘how are we going about developing performance?’ and I think that is an area where he is focusing intensively now.” 

Aston Martin endured a difficult 2024 campaign as the team continued a slide down the order that began the previous year with developments that failed to match expectations.

With Adrian Newey joining Aston Martin officially on 1 March to primarily focus on the all-new 2026 regulations, Krack was cautious when asked how he was feeling ahead of the new season.

“What I said before – the diligence of development, we’re working on that, and [asking] ‘how do we do this process better?’” he said.

“At the end of the day, it’s also a waste of money. These parts cost a lot and if they’re not working, you’re not using them anymore. So, that is certainly a big part.

“But then we have also to improve the performance, we have to improve the aerodynamic performance of the car, we have to improve the mechanical properties of the car. So, there is a lot to do. 

“All these projects have started and they have to come to fruition at the end. And then we must not forget 2026 – a big milestone for everybody.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

“I think it’s a bit unique this year now, because the focus is on 2026 much, much earlier than in a normal year where you look at the next year’s car maybe from [summer] shutdown onwards, or maybe a bit before the shutdown.

“It’s already [happening] now and we are still in 2024.”