Mike Krack Blasts Click-Driven Media Fear-Mongering Over Late-Season F1 Races in Middle East

Aston Martin chief trackside engineering officer Mike Krack has publicly criticized media outlets for what he called click-driven fear-mongering regarding the safety of late-season Formula 1 races scheduled in the Middle East.

Krack accused reporters of “generating a lot of distraction and a lot of fear unnecessarily” among team staff and their families.

“Unfortunately, these days you get the clicks when you bring the shocking news or the threatening news,” he said.

The comments came ahead of this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix as F1 faces an unresolved decision about whether to race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi in late November and early December.

The region is currently unstable due to the ongoing United States-Iran war.

Formula 1’s likely contingency plan is to move the two Middle Eastern rounds to Imola, Italy.

Krack was asked how the unresolved situation complicates planning for the end of the campaign and whether Aston Martin staff are comfortable working in a war-torn region.

He dismissed logistics and parts as a “not really a big deal,” saying the team simply plans quantities and then focuses on getting personnel there.

But he acknowledged that the staff question is valid.

“Everybody reads the news, everybody reads the internet, and some news is correct, some is less serious,” Krack said.

He conceded that the team cannot give employees complete guarantees given the fluid and dynamic nature of the conflict.

“But there are questions raised inside the team because there are families that are asking questions, so it’s a difficult subject, and the more reassurance we can give, the better it is,” he added.

“But you cannot always do that. You cannot always give 100 per cent reassurance because also often we don't know ourselves what's going to happen.”

Despite the uncertainty, Krack voiced support for F1 and the FIA to make the correct decisions when weighed against the associated risks.

He maintained that the championship and its governing body have “better information” than any individual team.

“Now I discussed it in length with Andy [Stevenson] this morning, and we are really convinced that F1 is not going to take any unnecessary risks,” Krack said.

“They are aware of the situation. They have much better information than we have, and I think if there is a serious risk, I think they will take the correct action.”

He added that F1 has likely set internal deadlines for a final decision, deadlines that have not yet passed.

“I think at the moment they are still evaluating that situation, and I'm sure they have set themselves some deadlines, which we're not over yet. So I think we need to trust them,” he said.

The controversy comes as Aston Martin deals with separate internal issues.

Driver Lance Stroll missed media day in Brazil due to a viral infection contracted during the previous race weekend in Mexico.

A team statement confirmed: “Lance will miss media day today as he continues to recover from a viral infection contracted in Mexico. He is recovering well, and we are confident he will return to the paddock on Friday.”

Stroll is one of only three drivers yet to score a point in the 2026 season, sitting 22nd in the standings alongside Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

He has finished only three of the last ten races.

In Mexico, both Stroll and teammate Fernando Alonso were instructed to stop their cars in the opening laps after a string of mechanical failures.

Despite the pace of the AMR22 when it ran, the team endured one of its most difficult weekends of the season.

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas also missed media day in Mexico due to illness.