Aston Martin names Adrian Newey as F1 team principal for 2026

This restructure was described as a “mutual decision” by ambitious team owner Lawrence Stroll and will likely end last weekend’s speculation that Christian Horner was in the running to join the squad. 

A long-time leader of Mercedes’ powertrain division, Cowell moved to Aston Martin as Group CEO in July 2024 and took the team principal mantle over from Mike Krack in January 2025.

Cowell’s position in Stroll’s outfit was however weakened by the Silverstone-based squad’s poor results in 2025, as it lies eighth in the constructors’ standings.

Unless it progresses to seventh [which is quite possible] or sixth [which is rather unlikely], this will be Aston’s worst result since the British brand took the Force India/Racing Point team over in 2021 - though it scored fewer points per round in 2022.

“I’m looking forward to taking on this additional role as we put ourselves in the best possible position to compete in 2026, where we will face an entirely new position with Aston Martin now a works team combined with the considerable challenge faced by the new regulations.

“Andy’s new role, focusing on the integration of the new PU with our three key partners, will be pivotal in this journey.”

Cowell’s new chief strategy officer position, which is evocative of predecessor Krack’s move to a chief trackside officer position, will involve his “unparalleled experience and expertise in working on power units”.

“Andy will help optimise the technical partnerships between the team, Honda, Aramco and Valvoline and will work closely with the team’s partners to ensure the seamless integration of the team’s new PU, fuel and chassis,” the press release details.

Interestingly, Cowell himself is quoted describing his recent contribution as “setting the foundations for Adrian and the wider organisation”, adding: “It is an appropriate time for me to take a different role as chief strategy officer.”

Stroll praised Cowell as a “great leader”, among whose accomplishments is “fostering a culture that puts the race car back at the heart of what we do”, which curiously implies it was not the case previously.