Reports suggest Mike Krack is being considered for a major role at Audi's new works Formula 1 project, possibly leaving his current position at Aston Martin.
These speculations surfaced just before the recent British GP and are the latest in a series of reports indicating turmoil at Sauber following the takeover by Volkswagen brand Audi.
Andreas Seidl, CEO of the Sauber Group, has been notably absent from many 2024 grands prix, focusing on the transition at Sauber's Swiss headquarters to a full works Audi operation by 2026.
Japanese outlet as-web.jp reported on the Thursday of the British GP race weekend that Seidl is experiencing friction with Oliver Hoffman, a longstanding Audi official and board member appointed as the chief representative of Audi's entire F1 project in March this year.
The contention reportedly revolves in part around the uncertainty of Nico Hulkenberg's teammate for 2025 and beyond, amid Carlos Sainz's growing concerns about Audi's progress, complicating their efforts to secure a leading driver to team up with Hulkenberg.
"Behind the scenes, there is a constant battle between Hoffmann and Seidl," the Japanese outlet claimed. "According to sources, Hoffmann plans to fire Andreas Seidl and bring in Mike Krack from Aston Martin to be Audi's F1 team principal. "
It's believed that Hoffman is also targeting Seidl's position as group CEO.
"At the same time," the report continued, "Seidl is apparently pressuring the board to fire Hoffmann and, with all the powers he has as CEO, appoint Krack as team principal as well."
Simultaneously, Hoffman seems to be defending against attempts by Audi CEO Gernot Dollner to remove him, as Hoffman is blamed for failures in Audi's road car division as well as Sauber's total lack of points in 2024 to date - the only points-less team.
Veteran Swiss F1 journalist Roger Benoit has also picked up on the discord at Audi-owned Sauber. "At Sauber," he now writes in the Blick newspaper, "the Audi tree has been burning in Hinwil for weeks. It's about power," Benoit added.
"Now another former employee at Sauber is being discussed - Mike Krack."
Krack, a seasoned figure in German motorsport engineering, currently heads the Aston Martin team, which has seen its own development falter in 2024.
"The Luxembourger," Benoit noted, "no longer feels comfortable at Aston Martin, probably because of his boss (Lawrence) Stroll."
In other team management news, Italian F1 insider Leo Turrini reports that famed Ferrari designer Rory Byrne has renewed his consultancy agreement with the Maranello-based team until 2027.
