Is Adrian Newey behind Aston Martin sackings? F1 legend adopts Red Bull tactic at new team

Newey on the grid in Qatar — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Is Adrian Newey behind Aston Martin sackings? F1 legend adopts Red Bull tactic at new team

Newey is taking charge at Aston Martin

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 8 January 2026 08:58

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Since Adrian Newey officially joined Aston Martin in 2025, his role at the Silverstone-based squad has developed exponentially.

For the majority of the 2025 season, Newey was focused on doing the very job he had been hired to do- build a 2026 challenger capable of winning races, if not championships, for Aston Martin.

With new regulations coming in this year, Lawrence Stroll's signing of the F1 design legend was a blockbuster one, and it is yet to be seen whether his former team Red Bull will be hurt by having lost Newey ahead of such a crucial change in the sport.

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But this news of Newey’s team switch wasn’t the biggest story involving the British engineer to shock the sport in recent years.

News around the ex-Red Bull technical chief had died down and it was assumed he was getting on with designing Aston Martin's 2026 car in peace.

But with just two rounds remaining in the 2025 championship, Newey's new team made the bombshell announcement that he would also be taking on the role of team principal in 2026.

Is Newey moulding Aston Martin into his dream F1 team?

Following reports that Newey had been involved in disagreements with ex-team principal Andy Cowell, Aston Martin confirmed that Newey would be taking on the role alongside his duties as Managing Technical Partner for the 2026 championship.

Cowell will remain at the squad in the role of chief strategy officer, but now, Italian publication AutoRacer.it have reported that Newey is behind further dismissals at his new team, adopting a similar strategy to one he used at Red Bull, with the Brit allegedly making staff changes where he sees fit.

The report stated: "With the arrival of Adrian Newey, a new era has begun at Silverstone. Lawrence Stroll has given the British genius carte blanche and, in a process very similar to the one he implemented at Red Bull, has begun a major campaign of dismissals to shape the team in his own image.

"To do this, Newey uses a trusted person who analyses everything that happens in the factory and reports back to him. It is no coincidence that many key figures have left in recent months, including aerodynamics director Eric Blandin, but also and above all second and third-tier engineers who are now joining rival teams," the piece concluded.

F1 Aston Martin Adrian Newey