At the time it appeared a extra-ordinary announcement made by Aston Martin back in late November 2025, as Adrian Newey was promoted to the role of team principal. Andy Cowell, the guru behind the all domineer Mercedes power unit of 2014 was demoted to there of liaison officer with Honda as rumours swirled Christian Horner was set to join the Silverstone based team.
TJ13 criticised the appointment, suggesting whilst a genius car designer, Newey neither had the personality nor proven bandwidth to cope with the top role at Aston Martin. This indeed has been the case as the softly spoken engineer muddled his way through press conferences in pre-season testing and at the opening event of the year in China.
Further, despite their issues with Honda, Aston Martin almost missed the Barcelona shakedown in January, due to poor planning in their production department with a car not ready to take to the circuit until the twilight hours of day four of the five day test. This complete failure must be accredited to Newey for failing to ensure proper deadlines were met.
In Melbourne, the Aston Martin team principal; threw their engine partner under the bus, claiming the chassis was probably the fish best in the field and it was the Honda powertrain which was the root of most of the team’s problems.
Honda responded in kind, suggesting Newey’s tightly packaged car design made it difficult for them to properly fit their engine architecture inside and that going forward they and Aston Martin needed to work more as a team. And now in a crisis, how are the Monday morning collective team debrief’s going at Aston Martin?
Engineering brilliance and team leadership are very different skills and Newey has spent his life focused on airflow and aerodynamic efficiency together with suspension geometry, not managing and inspiring hundreds of staff whilst explaining to the sponsors why their car is flailing around at the back of the grid – unable to complete a Grand Prix distance.
Newey did not aspire to be Aston Martin team boss
To be fair to Newey, in Melbourne he explained why he came to inherit the role of team principal. He and Andy Cowell had made a last minute visit to Honda’s powertrain base in Sakura, Japan in early November and what they discovered blew their minds.
The Honda operation which they had expected to be in full flow – the smooth operators who had powered Red Bull to six titles in four season – was no more. Newey revealed in the Melbourne Team principal’s press conference that following Honda’s initial decision to quit F1 in 2021, most of their senior engineers had subsequently left.
The Japanese manufacturer entered a phase of merely managing the powertrain for Red Bull as from 2022 onwards, all development of the engines was frozen by the FIA. Newey and Cowell discovered a head cunt in Sakura way below par and a programme which was months behind where it should have been.
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Lawrence Stroll ‘realises his mistake’
So given his experience with the Mercedes 2014 powertrain, Andy Cowell stepped down from his role as team boss in Silverstone and Newey took over. There were no suggestions this was an interim appointment, although at the time paddock rumours were strong that Christian Horner was in the mix to join Aston Martin, as team principal and with an equity stake which neither he nor Newey had been afforded at Red Bull Racing.
Aston Martin denied Horner was in the running for any role in association with the team as he pursued a minority purchase of a 24% stake held by American investors in the Renault owned Alpine team. News broke over the weekend of the Chinese Grand Prix that Toto Wolff was now in the frame to buy out the Otra stake in Alpine, in a move which some reported as a renewal of the bitter rivalry he enjoyed with Horner during his days as Red Bull team boss.
Now sport.de insider Felix Groner reports that Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll “realises” is was a “mistake” to have appointed Newey as his team boss and it is likely that conversations with Christian Horner have resumed.
Adrian Newey was conspicuous by his absence at the recent Chinese Grand Prix and now Spanish F1 journalist, Antonio Lobato has spoken about Newey’s tenuous position during a livestream with SoyMotor. He claims Aston Martin currently have a leadership vacuum and that owner Stroll is looking to hire a replacement ‘with immediate effect.’
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Veteran F1 reporter reveals “lack of leadership” at Aston Martin
“There is a lack of leadership at Aston Martin right now. I know for a fact that they are looking for a new team principal. Newey doesn’t act as Team Principal. In fact, he shouldn’t act as Team Principal,” states the veteran F1 writer.
Given the vast fortune Lawrence Stroll has invested in the Aston Marin F1 team facilities at Silverstone and the high hopes for their fortunes under F1’s new big regulatory changes, both cars failing to finish in either of the Grand Prix to date is not what the doctor ordered.
In his bid to frustrate Horner’s opportunity of a return to F1 with Alpine, Toto Wolff may have inadvertently re-opened the door for the former Red Bull boss to join the abject failure which is currently Aston Martin. Having been recruited to take over the ashes of the former Jaguar F1 programme by Red Bull entrepreneur, Didi Mateschitz, Horner knows what is required to build from the ground upwards.
Further his nigh on two decades working with the sometimes difficult Adrian Newey means he knows how to handle the mercurial genius who’s ultimate goal is always perfection. As team principal perfection is rarely the goal; it is about managing the current resources available to bring about the best results possible and Horner has ticked that box many times before.
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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.
