No Horner at Aston as Newey explains the restructuring.

      "If Newey and Mike Krack have a good relationship..."

      Lawrence Stroll has privately assured the Aston Martin staff that Christian Horner will not be joining the team in any management role, despite ongoing discussions regarding Adrian Newey’s unexpected promotion. According to Marca, Newey will serve as team principal for at least the initial races of 2026—events he was already slated to participate in due to the regulatory changes—before returning to the factory, where Mike Krack will take over leadership during race weekends. In addition, Cowell has been assigned to focus on merging Aston’s 2026 chassis with Honda’s new power unit, Aramco fuel, and Valvoline lubricants, a task that Newey considers essential under the new regulations.

      Dr. Helmut Marko, who is quite familiar with Newey, remains doubtful. “A team principal has numerous responsibilities, including communication," he stated to Sport1. “From what I know of Newey, he’s more of an introverted technician who prefers to work in a serene environment. The additional responsibilities of a team principal would detract from his time where his primary skills are most needed—as a designer. Bureaucracy and organization are certainly not Newey’s strongest points.”

      However, Ralf Schumacher does not see any reason for concern. “If Newey and Mike Krack get along well, it won’t be a major issue for Adrian,” he remarked. “He communicates with the drivers frequently and can handle team principal responsibilities, making him a suitable choice. Adrian Newey has always had a solid core team around him. He now needs to gather individuals he is familiar with—some of whom are also coming from Red Bull.” Schumacher also mentioned that the current arrangement might change, given that Andreas Seidl is still associated with Aston Martin.

      Newey himself—making just his second appearance in the paddock this season in Qatar—stated that his routine will remain unchanged. “I won’t change my daily routine,” he said regarding his promotion to team principal in 2026. Elaborating on the restructuring, he continued: “Honestly, it became evident to us that, considering the complexity of integrating the 2026 power unit, Andy’s expertise would be ideally suited to facilitating collaborations between Honda, Aramco, and the team. Therefore, he kindly offered to take on this responsibility in the early part of 2026. Then we faced the question, 'Who will be the team manager?' Since I was going to attend all the initial races anyway, these responsibilities wouldn't significantly add to my workload, so I opted to take on that aspect of the job as well.”

      Newey dismissed concerns that team principal duties could interfere with his focus on car design. “Building the car is genuinely what I want and need to do. It’s what motivates me every morning. Nothing will distract me from that.”