Formula 1 Rumor: Adrian Newey's days as Aston boss numbered

(GMM) Adrian Newey (pictured) may soon relinquish his new role as Aston Martin team boss amid the team’s horrific start to the 2026 season.

That is the view of well-known Spanish Formula 1 journalist Antonio Lobato, who says tensions are rising at the Silverstone-based outfit following a disastrous opening to the new Honda-powered era.

“There’s a lot of tension right now at Aston Martin, a lot of disappointment, a lot of nerves,” Lobato said on the Soy Motor podcast.

The situation, he believes, goes beyond the reliability vibrations that have plagued Newey’s first Aston Martin.

“There is another, much more significant underlying problem,” Lobato added, pointing to a power deficit from the Honda engine of “well over 50 horsepower”.

The scale of the problem was highlighted in Shanghai, where Alonso retired after painful vibrations left him struggling to hold the steering wheel.

“He completed 33 laps, something we hadn’t done consecutively before,” explained chief trackside officer Mike Krack.

“Fernando said that if you’re fighting for the win, it’s possible to drive like that, but we weren’t in that situation, so it was an easy decision.”

Another striking moment during the race came when Sergio Perez swept past Alonso’s Aston Martin in the Cadillac-powered entry on the straight, prompting the Spaniard to wave at his friend from the cockpit.

“Cadillac was half a second faster than Aston Martin on the straights every lap,” Lobato observed.

The crisis has also raised questions about Aston Martin’s unusual new management structure, with Newey combining his traditional design responsibilities with the unfamiliar role of team principal.

“I would even say there’s a lack of leadership right now,” Lobato said.

“In fact, I think there will soon be a new team principal.”

According to the veteran commentator, Aston Martin is already exploring alternatives.

“They’re looking for one,” he said. “They’ve had three in the last three years, and the last one, Adrian Newey, isn’t fulfilling that role. In fact, he shouldn’t.

“He’s good at what he’s good at.”

Speculation is already swirling that Red Bull boss Christian Horner could re-emerge as a candidate for the job, particularly as Mercedes now seems more likely to buy the available 24 percent stake at Alpine.

Krack insists, however, that Aston Martin is making progress behind the scenes despite the painful start to the year.

“I think people might laugh if I say we’ve made progress,” he admitted.

“But we have learned a lot simply by running and racing.”

He said the vibration issues themselves are not responsible for the team’s huge performance deficit.

“The vibrations are mainly affecting our reliability,” Krack explained. “It’s not something that’s costing us seconds.”

Instead, Aston Martin’s main hope of closing the gap lies in potential power unit development once the FIA allows changes under the new ADUO engine rules.

“If we can have improvements sooner, of course that will help,” he said.

Krack also defended his drivers after Lance Stroll’s curt one-word answers in China raised eyebrows.

“The drivers are investing a lot of energy in this,” he said.

“They are professional athletes, but they are also human beings. The situation is difficult right now.”

March 16, 2026

“There is a lot of tension right now at Aston Martin. A lot of tension, a lot of disappointment, a lot of nerves. I would even tell you that there is currently a lack of leadership,” DAZN Spain insider Lobato told SoyMotor.

“And I’m going to tell you more: I think there will soon be a new team principal. They are looking – yes, they are looking for a team principal. They have had three team principals in the last three years. And the latest one, who is Adrian Newey, is not acting as a fulltime team principal. In fact, he should not act as team principal. He is good at what he is good at – designing.

“And that is why they should look for someone who does that role – the one who shows his face, the one who defends the team, the one who faces the media, the one who faces the rest of the teams, the one who has to interact with the FIA, with the FOM.

“And that is why I tell you that I know they are looking for one, and we will see who they find.”

March 11, 2026

(GMM) Ralf Schumacher, who knows Adrian Newey (pictured) personally and spends time with him even away from the paddock, believes the Briton’s tenure as Aston Martin team principal will be short-lived – and that the Honda crisis has only accelerated the inevitable.

The Sky Deutschland pundit and former F1 driver said that combining the roles of team principal and chief designer was a mistake from the outset.

“Someone will soon come to replace him” in the team principal role, Schumacher said, though he was clear that a full dismissal is out of the question given Newey’s reputation and his status as a shareholder.

“He must go back to where he belongs – a position behind the scenes,” he added. “There are plenty of problems to solve, but as a team principal? He may not be suitable for that. That’s simply not how he is.

“I think he’s forcing himself to do this now. We also notice this in the interviews. He prefers to stay in the background, doing his own thing. He also walks past everyone, even if successes have been achieved.”

Schumacher said Newey’s personality makes the public-facing demands of the team principal role particularly ill-suited to him. “He must keep his peace and protect himself, except for a small group of people where he feels comfortable. I should know.

“You have to understand and be able to accept that from him. He’s a kind of deputy at the moment until there’s a switch in the staff.”

The assessment comes amid growing tension between Newey and Honda, after the Briton’s public claims that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll risked permanent nerve damage from driving the AMR26 prompted a pointed response from Honda Racing president Koji Watanabe, who said he was “puzzled” as to why Newey had spoken on the drivers’ behalf without numerical data to support the assertion.

However, Marca sports newspaper claims the excessive vibration from Honda’s troubled 2026 power unit risks exacerbating old hand and spinal injuries sustained earlier in 44-year-old Alonso’s long career.