Aston Martin reshapes leadership: Adrian Newey to take over as team principal, Andy Cowell shifts to strategy role
Lawrence Stroll has confirmed a major shake-up at Aston Martin, assigning the legendary English engineer Adrian Newey to lead the Silverstone team from 2026, while Andy Cowell, the outgoing CEO, will take on a new position as Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, Cowell will leverage his extensive experience to optimize technical partnerships between the team, Honda, Aramco, and Valvoline.
Rumors about changes at the top of Aston Martin emerged after the Las Vegas Grand Prix and have now been confirmed. The team announced a division of responsibilities between Andy Cowell, who has served as CEO since January, and Adrian Newey, who remains in charge of the technical department. Andy Cowell will transition to Chief Strategy Officer, focusing on strengthening the integration of the team’s technical partnerships.
From 2026 onwards, Adrian Newey will take on the role of Team Principal while continuing to lead the technical department, including track operations. Aston Martin stated, “These strategic changes are designed to ensure that the management team is fully prepared to maximize its strengths ahead of 2026 – a season that will introduce significant technical changes.”
Andy Cowell will report to Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll, who will continue to oversee the team’s business operations.
“Over the past nine months, I have seen incredible individual talent within the team,” Adrian Newey commented. “I look forward to taking on this new role, which will allow us to be in the best possible position to compete in 2026, when we will face a completely new set of challenges.”
Andy Cowell will return to a role more aligned with his previous positions at Mercedes. He explained, “After implementing the structural changes needed for the transition to a works team and laying the foundations for Adrian and the organization as a whole, it is time for me to assume a different role, that of Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, I will help optimize the perfect integration of the new power unit with the car and fuel suppliers.”
Lawrence Stroll praised Andy Cowell’s contributions: “Andy Cowell has been an exceptional leader. He has focused on building a world-class team and fostering a culture that puts racing cars at the heart of everything we do. This leadership change is a decision made jointly in the best interests of the team. I am also delighted that Adrian will take on the role of Team Principal, which will allow him to fully exploit his creative and technical expertise. Both of these changes will position the team to maximize its strengths moving forward.”
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