Aston Martin Aramco have announced changes to their leadership structure for the 2026 season. In a move aimed to focusing on the strengths of team personnel, Aston Martin hopes that this will also provide them with organisational efficiency. Legendary engineer and car designer Adrian Newey will become the new team principal.
Adrian Newey’s Road to Aston
Newey is an infamous name within Formula 1, and he’s known as the mastermind behind championship-winning cars. Initially, Newey joined March in the CART Championship (now IndyCar) and served as Bobby Rahal’s designer and race engineer.
Continuing with March, the British engineer went over to Formula 1 in 1988. His next step was alongside Williams, and their 1991 car was a competitor to the dominant McLaren. In 1992, Newey designed Nigel Mansell’s championship-winning FW14B. Following his time with Williams, he went to McLaren.
After eight years with the Woking-based team, in 2006, Newey joined the new Red Bull Racing team. He worked with the Austrian team until 2024, designing their winning machinery. In late 2024, it was announced that he’d depart the team and join Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team. Alongside becoming a shareholder of the Silverstone outfit, Newey was their Managing Technical Partner.
Changes at Aston Martin
Aston Martin have now announced a change to their leadership team. Considering the overhaul on the Formula 1 regulations, the team hopes these changes will help them play to their strengths and continue their trajectory in the sport.
“This leadership change is a mutual decision we have reached in the interest of the Team.”
~ Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll explaining the changes.
Current Team Principal, Andy Cowell, will take on the role of Chief Strategy Officer. In this new position, he’ll be optimising the technical partnerships with Honda, Aramco, and Valvoline—ensuring seamless integration of the new power unit, fuel, and chassis.
Adrian Newey steps up into the Team Principal position. As well as those duties, he remains the Managing Technical Partner and will oversee the trackside operations.
“I’m looking forward to taking on this additional role as we put ourselves in the best possible position to compete in 2026.”
~ Adrian Newey on his new role.