Formula 1 News: Newey & Cowell disagree over 'weak tools' claim

(GMM) The first public disagreement between Adrian Newey and Aston Martin’s top manager Andy Cowell (both pictured) has emerged.

Having worked intensely on the team’s all-new 2026 car project since arriving at Silverstone in March, Newey made his first appearance at a grand prix last weekend in Monaco in his new green uniform.

He revealed that despite team owner Lawrence Stroll’s huge infrastructure spending, “some of our tools are weak”.

“Particularly, the simulator,” Newey explained. “It needs a lot of work because there’s no correlation at the moment, and it’s a fundamental development tool.

“Not having that is a limitation, but we have to work in the meantime. It’s probably a two-year project.”

When asked about the slightly alarming comments, which may rule out a championship bid for at least that two-year period, team boss Andy Cowell took issue with Newey’s assessment and timeline.

Andy Cowell, Team Principal and Group CEO at Aston Martin F1 Team is interviewed during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 15, 2025 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Zak Mauger/LAT Images for Aston Martin)

“We won’t need two years,” he insisted.

“It just takes time to fine-tune these things – but it’s not years, it’s a matter of months.

“We were just talking in the briefing about ‘what did the driver say in the simulator’ and ‘what did the track say’, and there’s a mismatch. ‘What do we do now?’

“We’re still using the driver in the simulator, but we’re a little more cautious about rolling out setup changes,” Cowell added. “But we won’t need two years, and this isn’t about Adrian and I having a discussion.

“Over time, you gain confidence, so you use it as a development tool, and then you can really use it. That’s the path we’re taking, which I don’t think is unusual for any team introducing a new tool.”

Aston Martin is one of the teams’ expected to make the biggest jump with the move to the radical new engine and chassis regulations next year – with Alonso, Newey, and the arrival of works Honda engines all in the mix.

“We’re all working on the 2026 car,” Alonso said at a pre-Spanish GP event on Tuesday, “but a bit without any reference to any other car – just what we see of ours.

“So we have to trust our people, our facilities, our engineers, and also Adrian Newey, which is perhaps the greatest security we have. We don’t have any guarantees, but we do have the best making the car.

“So that has to help no matter what.”

Aston Martin is also taking more overall responsibility for its F1 car design, moving from customer Mercedes power to works Honda engines. “We’re also going to manufacture the gearbox for the first time in the team’s history,” Alonso noted.

“This team has always purchased its gearbox and engine from Mercedes, but the engine will now come from Honda, and the gearbox will be manufactured in-house for the first time. These are also challenges that can’t be underestimated, and we have to work hard on them.”