Adrian Newey Leading Aston Martin Search for New Team Principal After Disastrous 2026 Start

Aston Martin are reportedly preparing for another leadership shift, with Adrian Newey now leading the search for a new full-time team principal following a disastrous start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.

A Difficult Start to 2026

Aston Martin’s new power unit partnership with Honda has delivered early setbacks, with reliability concerns and power output issues severely limiting competitiveness. Minimal running during pre-season testing has translated into back-to-back double DNFs at the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix, leaving the team on the back foot from the outset.

Newey’s Potential Back Step

Newey, who was originally brought in as a managing technical partner, was handed additional responsibilities as team principal at the end of 2025 in a shock announcement. However, despite his extraordinary track record — 26 world championships across his career — he is fundamentally a car designer and has never previously held team principal duties during his spells with Red Bull, McLaren, Williams or Leyton/March.

According to reports in F1 media, Newey has now been tasked with identifying a full-time team boss, suggesting his tenure in the role may be temporary.

Former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl is believed to be among the candidates under consideration. It is also reported that Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, was contacted about the position but declined, choosing to remain at Red Bull.

Christian Horner Linked With Shock Return

Another name consistently mentioned in connection with the role is Christian Horner.

Newey and Horner worked together at Red Bull between 2006 and 2024, a period in which the team secured six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ titles. Although Newey was on gardening leave during Max Verstappen’s most recent championship campaign, the RB20 was his design.

However, reports suggest their relationship may have deteriorated prior to Newey’s departure from Red Bull, amid allegations levelled at Horner at the time. Horner was cleared of wrongdoing in an internal investigation but was later dismissed as Red Bull team principal for performance-related reasons, with the team sitting fourth in the constructors’ standings.

Horner has since been linked with a return to Formula 1 in a team ownership-style capacity, with Alpine and Haas also mentioned as potential destinations.

A reunion between Horner and Newey would represent a dramatic reset for a team currently struggling for direction. With owner Lawrence Stroll possessing the financial resources to act decisively, Aston Martin’s next move could prove pivotal in determining whether the 2026 campaign becomes a temporary setback — or the start of a deeper slide.

For now, the search for stability continues.