Why a Horner-Newey reunion would be bad news for Aston Martin

A reunion between a pair of F1 legends who claimed eight drivers' championships and six constructors' championships at Red Bull. Seems ideal, right?

Well no, not quite.

Following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a BBC Sport report suggested that Aston Martin were set to axe Andy Cowell from the role of team principal and CEO, and that Christian Horner was a contender to take over the role in 2026.

Aston Martin issued a statement to GPFans on these rumours, saying: "The team will not be engaging in rumour or speculation. The focus is on maximising performance in the remaining races and preparing for 2026."

Horner was axed from Red Bull back in the summer and replaced by Laurent Mekies after 20 years at the team, and has since been plotting a return to the sport.

The Brit has had a chequered few years, with allegations of inappropriate behaviour plaguing him in 2024, before an internal investigation completely cleared him of any wrongdoing.

But that tumultuous year did have consequences within Red Bull, with a number of key figures leaving the team, and a very public feud breaking out between Horner and the father of star driver Max Verstappen, Jos Verstappen.

One of the team members to leave the team throughout 2024 was design legend Adrian Newey, whose car designs have claimed 25 world championships throughout his esteemed F1 career.

Newey has since joined Aston Martin, where he is working hard to try and turn the Silverstone-based outfit into a world championship-challenging outfit when new regulations sweep into the sport in 2026.

You can see the appeal for Aston Martin to reunite that team principal-technical director partnership, but is it an idea that's too good to be true?

Rumours of Newey-Horner fallout

Amid all of the chaos at Red Bull last year, it was reported that Horner and Newey had fallen out, and that it was this that allegedly caused the design legend to leave his role and instead become managing technical partner at Aston Martin.

Now, there has also been speculation over the last couple of days that Newey and current Aston Martin team principal Cowell have had some disagreements.

But if Aston Martin want rid of Cowell because of a difference of opinion with Newey, why would they bring in somebody who Newey is also rumoured to have had a history of disagreements with?

It doesn't make sense, and would arguably cause more problems at the Silverstone-based outfit, with too many huge egos in one place.

But, team owner Lawrence Stroll just wants success. And two of the best minds in F1 working together may well bring that. If he can find a way to get Newey and Horner to make up and become friends again, then that could provide a dream team solution.

Potential signing of Max Verstappen

Okay, so let's say for argument's sake that Newey and Horner have made up and are helping Aston Martin build a championship-winning car and team like they did at Red Bull.

What about the potential signing of Max Verstappen? It's largely believed that Verstappen is going to be available to sign for the 2027 season - unless Red Bull provide him with a dominant car in 2026 - and both of Aston Martin's current drivers are set to be out of contract at the end of next year.

Signing one of the best drivers in F1 history and by far the best driver on the current F1 grid is surely the number one priority for any team, but would Verstappen really want to go to a team that are just trying to build Red Bull 2.0?

If he's looking for a new challenge, he'll surely either want a completely fresh setup, or a team with a huge history of success in the sport like Mercedes or Ferrari for example.

If Aston Martin had Newey and Horner in two key positions, they would be offering neither of those things for Verstappen.

A clone of the 2023 Red Bull outfit that was so successful under a different name might seem like a good idea, but F1 is heading into a completely new era in 2026, and a new era that will need fresh thinking.

Verstappen will know that, and will not be fooled by the team trying to pursue him by having two of his former colleagues in the door.

READ MORE: Aston Martin issue emotional statement as star officially exits team

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