On November 26th, Aston Martin disclosed that Adrian Newey was appointed as their Formula 1 team principal, effective for the 2026 racing season.
The acclaimed F1 engineer, Newey, commenced his role as managing technical director at Aston on March 1st. He is slated to assume leadership from the incumbent team principal, Andy Cowell, who will transition into the chief strategy officer position. Cowell himself had succeeded Mike Krack earlier this year.
Consequently, Newey will represent Aston’s third team principal within a mere twelve-month span, indicating that the substantial financial commitment by billionaire proprietor Lawrence Stroll into the Silverstone-based organization has not yet yielded the desired outcomes.
Despite Stroll’s recruitment of elite technical personnel from rival outfits, such as Newey and Cowell (a prominent figure formerly leading Mercedes’ powertrain department), and the transformation of the former Force India facility into cutting-edge premises, Aston continued to face difficulties during the concluding season of the ground-effect regulations. The team secured seventh place in the 2025 constructors’ standings, with Fernando Alonso’s fifth-place finish in Hungary being their strongest performance.
Nevertheless, the two-time F1 world champion maintained that this unsatisfactory performance was unrelated to the choice of assigning Newey greater authority.
“No, I don’t believe that to be the case,” Alonso remarked concerning the possibility of subpar outcomes affecting the choice. “The 2025 season presents significant difficulties for us, unequivocally. Yet, truthfully, this does not detract from the team’s overarching strategic vision. Our current standing is simply a fact. We are contending for only a small number of points in certain competitions, and that does not bring us satisfaction. However, this factor is not genuinely shaping any judgments or substantial alterations within the team.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, hugs Lawrence Stroll, Owner, Aston Martin F1 Team, on the grid
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Alonso was not surprised by this organizational restructuring, clarifying that Stroll frequently engaged in conversations with him about it.
“Lawrence communicates with us consistently; we speak on the phone once a week, and whenever he attends the races, we share either lunch or dinner daily,” the Spanish driver disclosed. “Therefore, we are perpetually informed, so to speak, regarding Lawrence’s perspectives. He seeks our views on what would be most advantageous for the squad, and what might be lacking. Consequently, we are consistently deeply engaged in all of their strategic considerations.”
“Naturally, we lack any decisional authority, yet they ensure we are kept up-to-date. Thus, this development gradually emerged, indicating Lawrence’s contemplation of this matter.”
