Andy Cowell is the current CEO and team principal of the Aston Martin team, yet his position is under fire as big dog Christian Horner is looking for a return to Formula One.
The British engineer made a name for himself by heading up the Mercedes HPP programme for the all new V6 turbo hybrid power units introduced into the sport in 2014. The Mercedes team went on to dominate for eight consecutive seasons winning the constructor’s title along with seven driver championships.
Yet Cowell since replacing Mike Krack as the head of the Aston Martin programme has failed to impress both in front of the camera and behind the schemes in Silverstone. At the Singapore Grand Prix he was dismissive of reports that Christian Horner was in discussions with the Silverstone based team over his F1 return.
Cowell belittled Aston’s interest in Horner in Singapore
Presenting himself as a bestie with billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll he repeatedly made representations to the assembled media across the weekend which implied the former Red Bull boss was desperately calling everyone in F1 to find a job.
“I had a chat with Lawrence (Stroll, Aston Martin owner) this morning to find out what he knows. It looks as though Christian’s ringing up pretty much every team owner at the moment,” Cowell said Friday ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. “I can clearly say there are no plans for involvement of Christian either in an operational or investment role in the future.”
The recent news that Horner is indeed in the running for the most senior role at the Silverstone based team now suggests Cowell is not in the inner circle of Stroll’s confidantes. Report have been emerging for some time that there is internal strife at Aston Martin and that Cowell is unable to manage the genius that is Adrian Newey.
It was announced when Newey joined the team that he would concentrate on the 2026 project solely, but Cowell has at times attempted to influence him to lend a hand to this year’s project in an attempt to improve the team’s final standings come Abu Dhabi.
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Newey rift with Horner fabricated
Yet despite Cowell’s titled seniority to Newey, the reality is that the technical genius of the former Red Bull technical director makes him a far more valuable asset to the team than Andy Cowell. Newey is a minority shareholder in the team and holds the title of technical managing partner and has renewed his working relationship with Dan Fallows who was his number two at Red Bull.
Much was made of Newey’s departure from Red Bull being due to a scandal which surrounded team boss Horner at the time. He was mysteriously accused of having an “inappropriate relationship” with a female e employee, although the evidence leaked later made the scenario look as something of a honey trap.
Horner was cleared twice by an independent Kings Counsel over all allegations and his pay off from Red Bull excludes him from any ramifications over the forthcoming UK employment tribunal the female is pursuing. However, the speculation surrounding the timing of Newey’s departure from Red Bull was linked to the unfolding events Horner was facing. Whilst this was never formally denied by the guru F1 car designer, the pair were later seen together at a Coldplay concert – hardly the actions of a man morally offended by his long term F1 partner in crime.
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Cowell disagreements with Aston’s jewel in the crown
It was clear at the time Red Bull Racing was undergoing significant change since the death of founder Didi Mateschitz. His son and fellow Austrian directors were forming an alliance to shake up the Formula One team and bring power and control back to Spielberg in Austria. Newey may well have felt this power struggle and this was the reason he bailed on almost twenty years with Red Bull Racing.
Andy Cowell may well be a genius engineer and the reason Mercedes holds the title of most dominant team ever in F1, but his public persona is clumsy and uninspiring. Not worthy of a team wh have such high title winning aspirations.
Further, TJ13 has received reports from insiders in Silverstone that the relationship between Cowell and Newey has been deteriorating at some pace. Despite his seniority, New is the crown jewel in the Aston Martin treasury – not Cowell – and the team’s response is hardly reassuring for the CEO/TP stating: “The team will not be engaging in rumor or speculation. The focus is on maximising performance in the remaining races and preparing for 2026.”
Read that as ‘Newey’s big project’ is the focus. Despite Newey’s refusal to be involved in the current season’s car design and upgrades, Aston Martin under Cowell have slipped from the early promise they showed before his arrival in 2023. Then the team and Fernando Alonso scored six podiums in the first eight race weekends.
Newey criticised Aston Martin infrastructure
They also finished the year with one more podium than Ferrari currently have this year, courtesy of Charles Leclerc. So Cowell’s influence has been over a period of decline for Aston Martin and the signing of Newey was due to the influence of Lawrence Stroll.
Stroll has invested hundreds of millions into the once midfield F1 outfit owned by former Indian billionaire and they now have a state of the art facility including a brand new wind tunnel for their engineers to thrive within. Yet Adrian Newey was critical of the team’s tools when he arrived together their real life correlation when he joined the team, something which was the responsibility of Cowell.
“I think it is fair to say that some of our tools are weak, particularly the driver in the loop simulator. It needs a lot of work because it’s not correlating at all at the moment, which is a fundamental research tool. Not having that is a limitation.
“But we’ve just got to work around it in the meantime and then sort out a plan to get it to where it needs to be. But that’s probably a two-year project in truth,” concluded the new technical managing partner, which is somewhat of an indictment of Cowell’s leadership.
Horner and Newey together built one of the most successful F1 start ups in history from the ashes of the Ford owned Jaguar F1 programme. Funded by billionaire Didi Mateschitz they had free reign to do as they pleased which resulted in eight drivers’ F1 titles and six constructor championships – something Aston Martin can only dream of at present.
Now a different billionaire is looking to them to deliver for the historic British racing marque and with Christian Horner, ever the masterful political strategist in the F1 paddock, a new dawn for the Eddie Jordan formed team is definitely on the cards.
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Lewis Hamilton is breaking records left right and centre this season, but for all the wrong reasons. The seven times Formula One world champion is heading for his first ever season without finishing on the podium.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
