Formula 1 News: Shock as Newey becomes Aston Martin team boss

(GMM) Aston Martin has stunned the paddock by announcing that Adrian Newey will take over as team principal from 2026, with Andy Cowell (pictured with Newey) moved into a new strategy role.

The upheaval follows weeks of internal tension and high-profile departures inside the Silverstone outfit.

Auto Motor und Sport’s Tobias Gruner reported that “seven key engineers” – including aerodynamic chief Eric Blandin – had been “on the chopping block”, allegedly on Newey’s recommendation, with the team “primarily poaching from Newey’s former team, Red Bull”.

Gruner added that relations between Newey and Cowell had become strained. “Rumors circulated in Las Vegas that things were getting heated behind the scenes,” he wrote, with names like Horner and Seidl being linked to Cowell’s job.

Instead, Lawrence Stroll has handed the role to Newey himself.

According to Gruner, the decision surprised the paddock because the 66-year-old is known as “a quiet, ingenious tinkerer” rather than a classic team boss.

Cowell will stay on as Chief Strategy Officer, coordinating Honda, Aramco and Valvoline and overseeing 2026 PU integration.

Speculation has grown that Aston Martin’s 2026 project may not be running smoothly. Gruner wrote that one rumor suggested the new Honda unit “was carrying a few extra kilograms”, though the team has not confirmed it.

Aston Martin formalized the restructure late on Wednesday.

Newey said he is “looking forward to taking on this additional role”, while Stroll said the changes will “enable the team to play to its collective strengths” for 2026.

Cowell had been in the job just over a year.