Krack: Aston Martin F1 and Alonso "don't need to manage each other"

Alonso carries around a reputation for being a tough customer keen on expanding his influence within a team, which was mainly born from his stints at McLaren.

The two-time world champion joined Aston from Alpine for 2023, eager to secure a multi-year deal with the Lawrence Stroll-owned team.

In an exclusive interview with Autosport, Krack says the team and Alonso are working harmoniously and thinks its transparent relationship with the 42-year-old is the key to having a productive process within the Silverstone squad.

"I don't think we need to manage each other, because he's a team member, like all of us are," Krack replied when asked if there was a sign of Alonso's reputation of being difficult to manage.

"Obviously, he's the most exposed with the highest profile, so obviously, you listen to what he's doing, and you care about what he's saying, and all that.

"But he knows that we want to do this together. And we are also humble and honest, if we cannot achieve the targets that we have set or that maybe he expects from us.

"So, I think the key for us at this stage is really to have as open and transparent a relationship as possible. And working together eye one eye without saying who is the manager. And this has worked quite well so far."

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing AMR23, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing AMR23

Photo by: Erik Junius

The Silverstone outfit enjoyed a dramatic upswing this year, vaulting from seventh in 2022 to third in the constructors' standings heading into the second half of the season.

Alonso has played a pivotal part in extracting the most from the competitive AMR23 car the team had developed for this season, scoring six podiums so far.

Krack thinks Aston Martin can only gain from letting Alonso, who is competing in his 20th F1 season, provide guidance behind the scenes.

The collaboration has been fantastic, all the time," Krack acknowledged. "And I think what is quite important is he knows the weaknesses of the car, and we also go through it together.

"So, we know what to expect up front and we decide a lot of stuff together. And this is key, because if you have someone like that with that experience, with this cleverness, with this desire, you have to involve him, because if you do, you only gain from it.

"This is the path that we try to follow. Not saying: 'You are only the driver', but really trying to get all this, also the positiveness, that he can bring - and I think this helps a lot."