Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack has once again carefully navigated through raging speculation about a potential move to Audi.
With Audi's F1 team, Sauber, experiencing leadership instability ahead of the 2026 works debut, there were whispers recently that the newly appointed Mattia Binotto might shift his attention to technical matters and lure Krack to assume the role of team principal.
Interestingly, the conjecture about Krack started even before the departures of Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, amid rumours that the duo had Krack in their sights while they were at odds.
The 52-year-old Krack, previously affiliated with Porsche—a Volkswagen brand like Audi—in the world endurance circuit, was queried on two occasions about his ties to the Audi-owned Sauber team at last weekend's grand prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
Krack subtly acknowledged his visit to Sauber's Hinwil facility in Switzerland, noting he "worked there for a long time" and still has "a lot of friends there."
"I have here (at Aston Martin) the project of a lifetime, where you have someone investing so much to become a big team and to be part of that is an opportunity for everybody," he elaborated. "So my focus is on this project."
"'25 and '26 is a huge challenge in front of us. That is where my thoughts are."
When probed again by Sky Deutschland about the persistent rumours, Krack's response was even more reserved and skilful.
"Let's keep our feet on the ground," he stated.
"It's of course nice when you're constantly being talked about, but you have to keep your focus on the task you have. That is clearly Aston Martin for now."
German newspaper Bild observed: "The team boss already avoided making a firm commitment to Aston Martin several weeks ago. The fact is, Krack would not only be flattered by an offer, but would also seriously consider it. The proof is the lack of a clear denial."
"A denial would have put an end to the speculation faster than Formula 1 cars accelerate from 0 to 100kph," journalist Michel Milewski concluded.
