Adrian Newey will become team boss for the first time when he takes over from Andy Cowell at Aston Martin in 2026.
Aston Martin signed Newey as managing technical partner earlier this year, along with Cowell, who was previously CEO and team principal. However, the pair have now “agreed to split their responsibilities”, the team said, with Cowell becoming Chief Strategy Officer, while Newey leads the team for the first time in his career.
“Over the past nine months I have seen great individual talent within our team,” said Newey. “I look forward to taking on this additional role as we put ourselves in the best possible position to compete in 2026, where we will face a brand new position with Aston Martin, now a factory team, combined with the significant challenge presented by the new regulations.
“Andy’s new role, focused on the integration of the new PU with our three key partners, will be crucial in this journey.”
Cowell’s new role will see him report to team owner Lawrence Stroll – who heads up Aston Martin’s business functions – and focus on the integration of new technical partners.
“Having made much-needed structural changes as we transition to a full factory team and laid the foundations for Adrian and the wider organization, it is an opportune time for me to take on another role as Chief Strategy Officer,” said Cowell. “In this role I will help optimize the technical collaboration between the team, Honda, Aramco and Valvoline and ensure the seamless integration of the team’s new PU, fuel and chassis.”
Stroll himself praised Cowell’s work to date, having only signed the former Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) boss last year.
“Andy Cowell has been a great leader this year,” Stroll said. “He is focused on building a world-class team and getting them to work well together, and on fostering a culture that puts the race car back at the heart of what we do. This leadership change is a mutual decision we made in the best interest of the team. We all look forward to continuing to work with him in his new capacity as Chief Strategy Officer.”
“I am also pleased that Adrian Newey will take on the team’s lead role, allowing him to fully utilize his creative and technical expertise. Both changes will ensure the team is best placed to leverage their collective strengths.”
Newey becomes the fourth Aston Martin team boss in the past four years, following Otmar Szafnauer, Mike Krack – who remains with the team as Chief Trackside Officer – and Cowell.
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