Aston Martin to poach Red Bull's Skinner to fix Newey's 'lemon'

(GMM) Aston Martin is reportedly interested in former Red Bull Racing chief designer Craig Skinner (pictured on left) following his sudden departure.

Red Bull confirmed last week that Skinner has left the team with immediate effect after nearly 20 years, during which he worked closely with Adrian Newey.

“After 20 years with the team, Craig Skinner, our Chief Designer, will be leaving the Red Bull Technology team,” Red Bull said in a statement.

“Craig has been an integral part of our team and its success, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and commitment. The whole Red Bull team wishes him all the best for the future.”

Editor’s Note: You can bet Aston Martin has offered Skinner a huge pay increase to come and salvage Adrian Newey’s AMR26 lemon. He is too young to just resign from Red Bull and have no other job offer.

Skinner was part of the design group that underpinned Red Bull’s championship-winning era between 2021 and 2024 with Max Verstappen, and also contributed to the team’s late-2025 resurgence.

Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport now reports that Aston Martin, led by now team boss Newey, is showing interest in securing his services.

According to the newspaper, Skinner is currently on mandatory gardening leave – understood to be at least six months for a senior technical figure – but the timing of his exit has fueled speculation about a future move to a rival.

UK sources cited by the publication suggest Aston Martin, currently struggling despite major investment, could be a logical destination.

The Silverstone-based team is enduring a difficult start to 2026, particularly with its Honda power unit.