Aston Martin’s Adrian Newey to resign from position as team principal – sources
Adrian Newey is poised to step back from his leadership position at Aston Martin to concentrate exclusively on technical aspects, sources have informed ESPN.
Newey assumed the role of managing technical partner and shareholder in Aston Martin’s F1 team in March 2025, but also took on the full team principal role this season when Andy Cowell was removed from that position.
Newey is now stepping down from that capacity. Autosport reported on Thursday that Aston Martin plans to recruit Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley.
Sources have indicated to ESPN that no formal agreement has been finalized yet, but Wheatley is the likely candidate for the position.
An Aston Martin representative stated: “The team will not engage in media speculation regarding its senior leadership team. Adrian Newey continues to lead the team as Team Principal and Managing Technical Partner.”
Team sources have informed ESPN that Newey’s position as acting team principal was always seen as a temporary arrangement, although this was never publicly communicated.
The new hire, according to the same sources, will still report to Newey in whatever the new organizational structure entails.
This role was uncharted territory for Newey, recognized as the most accomplished car designer in the sport.
It placed him in a prominent position to address Aston Martin’s ongoing challenges with new engine partner Honda. In Australia, Newey participated in a series of press conferences that included the assessment that the engine produces such severe vibrations that both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll feared permanent nerve damage.
Sources have informed ESPN that several candidates were approached regarding the role over the past few months beyond Wheatley, including Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and former McLaren chief Andreas Seidl.
A move for Wheatley would see Red Bull’s former sporting director depart Audi after only 10 months in the role. Wheatley collaborated with Newey at Red Bull for 20 years, spanning two different periods of dominance in F1.
It is understood that Newey will continue to be an integral part of the team despite stepping back from his current position, a decision made in conjunction with team owner Lawrence Stroll following the Australian Grand Prix.
Stroll has made significant investments in Aston Martin to position the team as title contenders under the current regulations, spending substantial funds on a cutting-edge team headquarters located opposite the Silverstone circuit. The new facility features the team’s own wind tunnel, which became operational last year.
Stroll’s strategy for the new regulations also included an exclusive partnership with Honda, but this has thus far proven to be problematic.
Newey himself remarked prior to the Australia opener that the Japanese manufacturer’s engine vibrates to such an extent that drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll risked permanent nerve damage if they held the steering wheel for extended periods.
Since the second race in China, footage has surfaced of Alonso frequently removing his hands from the steering wheel while driving due to the severe vibrations.
Neither he nor Stroll has completed a race distance.
During the opening race, it was revealed that Honda’s engine had damaged two of the four batteries Aston Martin can utilize throughout the entire season before incurring grid penalties.
Source: espn.com
