Team owner Lawrence Stroll makes it clear that Christian Horner will not be joining Aston Martin—neither as team principal nor in any other capacity.
Lawrence Stroll puts an end to the British media’s speculation about Christian Horner and makes it clear internally that Aston Martin will not be signing the 51-year-old.
For months, speculation about Horner’s future has been rife in the Formula 1 paddock. The former Red Bull team principal has been regularly linked with Aston Martin – most recently before and after the announcement that Adrian Newey will take over as team principal from 2026.
However, Andy Cowell had already emphasized in Singapore that signing Horner was not an option and that the move was not planned.
Newey’s promotion is raising questions in parts of the international media landscape: Does the 66-year-old Brit really want to take on all the duties of a Formula 1 team principal – from F1 Commission meetings to strategy meetings to press appointments?
This reignited the debate, accompanied by speculation that Horner could take on those representative duties in particular. However, Stroll has now provided clarity.
On Wednesday, the Canadian entrepreneur informed Aston Martin factory employees about Newey’s promotion in an internal address – and in doing so explicitly ruled out Horner joining the team in any capacity. The aim of the message was to put an end to speculation and focus on the sporting realignment.
Although Newey will continue to focus on developing the 2026 car and the technical department, a division of management responsibilities still seems conceivable.
Mike Krack, currently team principal, could gain in importance, especially as the Luxembourger already handles some media duties. The name of Andreas Seidl, former team principal at McLaren, is also still being discussed within the team. Newey himself describes his promotion as a logical step: “Since I’ll be at the races at the start of the season anyway, my workload won’t change significantly. I’ll be there anyway, so I might as well take on this role.“
The 66-year-old also emphasizes that his new role must not interfere with his design work: ”That’s exactly what I want to and must focus on. That’s what drives me in the morning. I am determined not to dilute that focus.”
As for Horner, the Briton is still exploring options for a return to Formula 1—preferably in a position above the classic team principal role and ideally in conjunction with company shares. However, Stroll has clearly rejected this option for Aston Martin.
