The situation at the Aston Martin F1 team is coming to a head—reports suggest that an old acquaintance could become the new team principal—Andy Cowell in conflict with Adrian Newey
Aston Martin is apparently facing a personnel shake-up at the management level. According to information from the BBC, Christian Horner is considered a possible candidate for the role of team principal, while CEO Andy Cowell could be on his way out.
The background to this is said to be internal differences with technical director Adrian Newey, who joined the team this year as managing technical partner.
Since leaving Red Bull in the summer of 2025, Horner has repeatedly been linked with a return to the Formula 1 paddock. He was dismissed by Red Bull in July after around two decades and numerous titles, and officially left in September after reaching a financial agreement.
In the months that followed, he explored various options and contacted several teams. Most recently, there had been speculation about potential options at Haas, Ferrari, or Alpine.
However, according to the BBC report, Aston Martin now appears to be the most likely destination. The tense relationship between Cowell and Newey is said to have had a decisive influence on this.
The 66-year-old designer is Aston Martin’s most prestigious signing in years and has been working on the development of the 2026 car for a long time. However, several disagreements are said to have now put Cowell’s position at risk.
When asked by Autosport, the Silverstone-based team declined to comment on the reports. They said they were focusing exclusively on the remaining races of the season and preparations for 2026.
In sporting terms, the current year is falling well short of expectations for Aston Martin: seventh place in the constructors’ championship with two races remaining stands in stark contrast to their strong start to 2023.
Horner-Newey relationship also tense
Cowell, who previously worked for Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains for many years, has only been at the helm of Aston Martin for just over a year. Despite his higher position in the hierarchy, Newey is said to be the more influential figure in the company. The Briton is also the highest-paid employee and holds a minority stake in the team.
However, Horner’s move is by no means certain. Although Horner and Newey worked closely together at Red Bull for many years, Newey’s departure came in the shadow of internal investigations against Horner. He had been accused of inappropriate behavior and controlling behavior toward a female employee. Although Horner was ultimately exonerated, his relationship with Newey is said to have suffered.
Should Cowell leave the company and Horner not move to Aston Martin, British media are bringing other names into play. Among others, former McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl and Martin Whitmarsh, former CEO of Aston Martin, are considered possible alternatives.
This means that Aston Martin is likely to be the subject of intense speculation in the coming weeks, and further changes at the top of the team cannot be ruled out.
