SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Aston Martin has replaced Mike Krack as team principal but is keeping him in a high-profile role at Formula 1 races after a disappointing 2024 season.
The team said Friday that Krack, who had been team principal since 2022, would move to a new role as Chief Trackside Officer focusing on “getting the most performance out of the car at the racetrack”.
Chief executive Andy Cowell — who led Mercedes' engine program during its run of titles in the 2010s — will now double up as team principal. Cowell joined the team last year and became chief executive in October. Krack's trackside team will report to Cowell, and so will the staff at Aston Martin's headquarters in England.
Aston Martin said the change was made to ensure “clarity of leadership and as part of a shift to a flatter structure.”
Aston Martin was fifth in the constructors' standings in 2024, the same position as in 2023. However, with Aston Martin aiming to become a title-winning team in future, the season was widely seen as a step backward as it lost ground to better-performing rivals like McLaren and Ferrari.
Fernando Alonso finished on the podium eight times for Aston Martin in 2023, but the team's best result of 2024 was his fifth place at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The organization shakeup also comes ahead of the arrival in March of car design great Adrian Newey. He left Red Bull last year and will have the title of “managing technical partner.”
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE -Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain makes a pit stop during the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hamad I Mohammed, Pool, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Coach Steve Kerr spoke with Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga during the morning shootaround Thursday about the player's situation being out of the rotation for more than a month now with expectations he will be traded before the deadline next month.
“We talked this morning and that’s all private,” Kerr said. “I will keep coaching him, he’ll be part of the team, he’ll be here. It is what it is.”
Kerr discounted any issues between them as being reason Kuminga has reportedly requested a trade from the team after not being used in the last 14 games since Dec. 18 and 17 of 18 — though he has been listed as injured for nine games this season.
“Our relationship is fine,” Kerr said before Golden State's 126-113 win over the New York Knicks. “There's not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff. It is what it is, difficult situation for everybody and part of this league, part of the job. We just keep moving forward.”
Kuminga has been training much of the time on his own, shooting on the Warriors’ practice floor out of the eyes of fans at Chase Center. He wears a black hood over his head on the end of the bench during games. Perhaps Kuminga and the Warriors weren't a great fit from Day 1 — not that it's his fault — and he might be eager to leave and start fresh elsewhere. If so, the Golden State brass might want to make sure he doesn't get hurt before trying to trade him.
Yet nobody has taken issue with his work ethic, at least not publicly. Kuminga, selected seventh overall in the 2021 draft, has been known to stay long after games shooting on the arena's main floor.
“It’s not a distraction at all. It’s a very unique situation but our job is just to keep playing, keep winning, it’ll resolve itself one way or the other,” Stephen Curry said.
The 23-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has appeared in just 18 games total with 13 starts, averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
On Sept. 30, he agreed to a two-year contract that could be worth up to $46.5 million if the team were to exercise its option for 2026-27. Kuminga had had a $7.9 million qualifying offer in hand since June 29 but was also weighing other options and he missed media day.
He has long had the support and confidence of teammates — like Jimmy Butler saying he has been having Kuminga over and continuing to encourage him.
“We love JK in this locker room, that's not going to change,” Butler said postgame. “If he happens to not be in here, we'll still rock with JK. I speak for everybody. We love the guy. I wish him the best here, I wish him the best wherever. It doesn't change. We don't listen to the noise, I hope he don't listen to the noise he keep coming here with a smile doing what he's supposed to do and being the ultimate pro.”
Kuminga missed much of last season with a right ankle injury. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes over 47 games with 10 starts. He also scored 15.3 points per game over eight playoff games while shooting 48.4% from the floor and making 40% of his 3-point attempts. That included a career-best 30-point performance in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kerr said the uncertainty around Kuminga's future “won't be a distraction.”
“Jonathan's a great young guy, his teammates like him,” Kerr said. "He's handling himself well.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, middle, sits near the team bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks in San Francisco, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (1) and Utah Jazz center Oscar Tshiebwe (34) swap jerseys after the Warriors defeat the Jazz during an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)
