“A week is a long time in politics” is the infamous maxim coined by UK Labour prime minister Harold Wilson in the 1960’s. The phrase has been used countless times since to highlight how political fortunes, public opinion and events can shift in the sands of time rapidly.
Last November as rumours swirled about the future of Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell, ex-Red Bull boss Christian Horner was linked with the top job at the Silverstone based team. Then on November 23rd, Lawrence Stroll made the somewhat shock announcement that Adrian Newey would assume the role of team principal, whilst Andy Cowell would become the chief liaison officer with Honda.
Cowell is credited as being the guru behind the 2014 Mercedes HPP all conquering powertrain and his shift in focus to Aston Martin’s new powertrain provider Honda was of little surprise. The appointment of Newey as his replacement was seen in certain corners of the F1 media as a rebuttal to Horner and suggested to enforce the notion, Newey and Horner were not on the best of terms.
Yet the decision to hand the full responsibility for all things Aston Martin F1 to the sport’s greatest ever car designer was indeed puzzling and TJ13 suggested at the time this would not end well. Lifelong racer and Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko also called out the decision.
“I can’t imagine it,” he bluntly remarked of Newey’s appointment as team principal. “Newey’s strengths lie in design, production, monitoring and component weight. Team principal is a completely different field of activity. And then there’s the time, where would he find it? It would distract him from his original design work. I don’t think Newey is the ideal man for this position.”
Of course what nobody knew at the time was both Newey and Cowell had visited Honda’s base in Sakura, Japan and what they found horrified them both. The Japanese manufacturer was miles behind with its reliability testing and struggling to even promise an operating powertrain for race one of 2026
“Lawrence [Stroll], Andy Cowell and myself went to Tokyo to discuss rumours starting to suggest that their original target power, they wouldn’t achieve for race one,” revealed Newey in the Melbourne paddock. “And out of that came the fact that less people… that not many of the original workforce had not returned when they restarted.”
MORE NEWS – Verstappen put on notice by Red Bull rookie: ‘I am not letting him pass’
Would you like to see more TJ13 Formula 1 coverage? Add us to your favourites list on Google to receive trusted F1 news.
Shock November visit to Honda’s F1 HQ
Given Aston Martin signed their new deal with Honda in May 2023 to deliver exclusive the new 2026 powertrains, there has been clearly a failure on the due diligence and subsequent monitoring on the behalf of the Aston Martin senior management.
READ MORE – Newey duped by Lawrence Stroll’s lack of due diligence
Clearly the November visit to Japan meant Andy Cowell’s expertise was needed to micro manage their powertrain supplier and Newey as the only real short term option stepped into the breach to run the Aston Martin F1 team. This of course killed of the notion that Christian Horner may join the Silverstone based team as their principal on an equity deal similar to that of Newey.
Since then all the talk of a Horner F1 return has been in association with Alpine, in particular with him acquiring the 24% of shares held by the US based Otro Capital. Today’s big news is that Toto Wolff is now interested in acquiring the Otro stake in the Renault owned F1 team, whether this is to spite his arch ex-Red Bull rival or for other reasons is up for speculation.
Whilst Red Bull are permitted to run two teams in Formula One, there are historic reasons for this. Energy drinks magnate, Didi Mateschitz stepped in to buy the failing Minardi team back in 2005, when F1 was at risk of seeing a mass exodus from the grid. The team now race as the Racing Bulls.
SHOCK NEWS: Verstappen to race 24 hour classic in a MERCEDES
Wolff muddies the waters over Alpine equity sale
However, it is unlikely the FIA or even F1 would sanction another team like Mercedes acquiring a ‘B’ team and so the rumours of Wolff’s interest in Alpine are indeed peculiar. Whatever the explanation, the abject failure of Aston Martin and Honda at the start of 2026 will open the discussion over whether they have the right leadership in place.
Newey looked lock a dead man walking in his media events in Melbourne and his stilted and disjointed answers to why the Silverstone based team can barely complete 25 laps at a time were unnerving to say the least. Adrian is a master engineer and not a public relations officer and he would be best served marshalling the Aston Martin troops to improving the ‘seat’ of the troublesome Honda battery packs.
The suggestions that Horner and Newey fell out over the alleged ‘sexting’ allegations in 2024 have been proven nonsense, since the pair have been seen together in public on a number of occasions since. Horner is the perfect fit for Aston Martin, he built a team from ashes of the Jaguar F1 programme with the gazillions of an Austrian billionaire.
Switch the Milton Keynes location for Silverstone along with the Austrian Euro’s for Canadian dollars and the Horner/Newey dream team is in place to do it all over again. A report in the Telegraph has suggested certain senior F1 figures now believe Lawrence Stroll must ‘fell the need’ to hire a chief executive/team principal to help the team ‘focus on performance’ after their dreadful start to the season.
McLaren F1 boss Stella demands Mercedes powertrains to improve transparency with customers
Would you like to see more TJ13 Formula 1 coverage? Add us to your favourites list on Google to receive trusted F1 news.
Horner knows how to optimise Newey’s skills
Horner is only available from his Red Bull garden leave in April, but now this is just weeks away and his appointment would immediately relieve a huge amount of pressure from Newey’s shoulders. The ex-Red Bull boss has worked with F1’s genius designer for night on twenty years and knows intimately how he works and to fashion an environment to get the best from Newey.
Last week all the talk was about Horner and Alpine. Toto Wolff may have intended to muddy the waters with some kind of expression of interest in buying the Otra shareholding, yet it may be Horner who has the last laugh as he rejoins Formula One in charge of one of Mercedes powertrain customer teams.
If the rumours of sharp practice by Mercedes in denying their customer’s timely access to data on the all new 2026 power units are true, it would be Horner who is likely to sniff out the truth more than anyone. The proposition above of a Christian Horner move to Aston Martin is indeed a real possibility.
How the wheel has turned. Indeed a week in F1 can seem like entering an alternative universe.
MORE F1 NEWS – F1 project “botched”: Adrian Newey and Aston Martin mocked by the Italian press
NEXT ARTICLE – FIA’s late homologation date sees Mercedes leading their F1 customers on
A new row is brewing in Formula One which again revolves around Mercedes HPP who build the F1 powertrains. The Brackley based outfit has been embarrassed for the last two seasons as their engine customer McLaren has wiped the floor with them, winning three championships.
Now the new era of F1 has been, unsurprisingly it is the top three powertrain manufacturers who look to have the fastest cars. Is this because their engines are better than those supplied to their customers? No because this is against the FIA regulations.
Back in 2014 this was indeed the case, where Mercedes would bring upgrades to their powertrains and their customers would have to wait for the production capabilities to produce enough for them maybe weeks later. The rules have been changed to prevent this…. CONTINUE READING
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.
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water…