Red Bull Racing team principal and advisor Helmut Marko has expressed doubts over Adrian Newey’s promotion to Aston Martin team principal. On Wednesday, November 26, AMR announced that Newey would replace Andy Cowell as team principal from 2026, with the latter taking on a new role as chief strategy officer.
Reports of Cowell’s dismissal from the top management post had emerged during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. The BBC reported that former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was in the running alongside three other candidates to replace him as team principal.
However, Aston Martin has shockingly promoted Adrian Newey to team principal, in addition to his role as managing technical partner. The Briton started working for AMR in March this year, a year after leaving Red Bull, where he spent almost two decades.
Helmut Marko was one of Red Bull’s founding partners in 2005. While his expertise lay in sourcing championship-winning driver talent like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, Adrian Newey was the force behind the team’s technical wizardry, which led them to eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ Championships. However, Marko was unimpressed with Newey’s promotion to Aston Martin as he felt a management role would not suit the Briton.
“It really surprised me,” Marko said via RN365. “We’ll have to wait and see what it looks like in practice. It’s certainly not his strong point. His big strength is in the design, the car settings and the quality of production and development. But I’m really surprised that he’s moving more towards the team principal position.”
In 2021, Christian Horner spoke similarly about Adrian Newey’s managerial skills and how the Briton would not thrive in such an environment. Instead, he worked best as an “artist” when he had the freedom to display his talent.
Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll explains the reason behind Adrian Newey’s promotion
Ever since billionaire Lawrence Stroll acquired Force India and renamed it Racing Point and eventually Aston Martin, his goal has been to convert the midfield team into a championship winner. It kicked off the process with an investment of more than $200 million to build a new headquarters at Silverstone featuring cutting-edge technology.
With Adrian Newey leading the team’s design project for 2026, Stroll’s plan appeared to be coming to fruition. However, it was reported that Newey and Andy Cowell’s ideologies differed, leading to a managerial restructuring.
Explaining the rationale for the changes in Aston Martin’s press release, Lawrence Stroll said:
“Andy Cowell has been a great leader this year. He has been focused on building a world-class team and working together well, as well as fostering a culture that puts the race car at the heart of what we do. This change in direction is a mutual decision that we have made in the best interests of the team. We all look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role as Chief Strategy Officer.”
“I am also pleased that Adrian Newey will take on the role of Team Director, allowing him to fully utilize his creative and technical expertise. These two changes will ensure that the team is best placed to exploit its collective strengths,” concluded the billionaire.
2026 will be Aston Martin’s first year as a factory team, producing its engines in-house in partnership with Honda. Cowell will be responsible for managing technical partnerships with Honda, Valvoline and Aramco.
Edited by Yash Kotak
