F1 2026: Aston Martin ‘are now looking for a new team principal’ claims top insider

Aston Martin F1

Aston Martin ‘are now looking for a new team principal’ claims top F1 insider

Aston Martin are looking to make a change says Lobato

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Monday 16 March 2026 20:55 Updated: 22:04

Aston Martin are now looking for a new team principal according to claims made by leading F1 insider Antonio Lobato.

The expensively-assembled team have made an embarrassing start to the 2026 season, lurching from one crisis to the next.

Right now the team has a car which cannot even finish races because its drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll fear they will suffer permanent nerve damage from the vibrating Honda power unit.

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This is surely not what team owner Lawrence Stroll expected when he hired the sport’s greatest design genius Adrian Newey. He would later also hand Newey the role of team principal for 2026 in place of Andy Cowell.

There were many at the time who questioned the wisdom of asking Newey to not only lead the design of the car, but also manage the entire team as well. According to Lobato, that situation may not last for much longer, with a new face likely to take over as team principal.

That would leave the 67-year-old Newey free to concentrate purely on the job of making the car competitive at the front end of the grid (assuming those much-documented power unit issues are resolved).

What is happening at Aston Martin?

“There is a lot of tension right now at Aston Martin. A lot of tension, a lot of disappointment, a lot of nerves. I would even tell you that there is currently a lack of leadership,” DAZN Spain insider Lobato told SoyMotor.

He added: “And I’m going to tell you more: I think there will soon be a team principal. They are looking - yes, they are looking for a team principal. They have had three team principals in the last three years. And the latest one, who is Adrian Newey, is not acting as team principal. In fact, he should not act as team principal. He is good at what he is good at.”

Lobato went on to detail the profile Aston Martin should look for as he explained: “And that is why they should look for someone who does that role - the one who shows his face, the one who defends the team, the one who faces the media, the one who faces the rest of the teams, the one who has to interact with the FIA, with the FOM.

“And that is why I tell you that I know they are looking for one, and we will see who they find.”

Newey was not present in Shanghai for that Chinese Grand Prix over the weekend, but Aston Martin said this was planned as he will not be attending all races in 2026.

A spokesperson told GPFans: "Adrian Newey - in his role as Managing Technical Partner and Team Principal - will split his time across attending races and working at the AMRTC in Silverstone where he is leading the technical direction of the team."

A Christian Horner return?

If Lobato is correct and Aston Martin are indeed looking for somebody new to head up their operation, there is one obvious choice currently looking to return to the sport - Christian Horner.

The 52-year-old Englishman was fired by Red Bull last July after a tumultuous 12 months. But he had presided over massive success during his near 20 years at the helm.

Horner helped to bring eight world drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships to Red Bull, and he was the man who crucially persuaded Newey to join the team.

While Horner has made no secret of his desire to return to the sport, there could be a fly in the ointment in terms of what his actual role would look like. He has spoken of a desire to have a more senior focus, and perhaps not purely as a team principal.

Horner, along with a group of investors, has recently been linked interest in buying a 24 percent stake in Alpine currently owned by Otro. But that could be blocked by Mercedes, who are currently in talks over acquiring that stake.

Written by

Graham Shaw - Consultant Editor

Digital sports leader with 30 years of senior level experience running global brands. Built sportinglife.com to be a behemoth in the UK as well as being in charge of the Planet Sport network of sites including planetf1.com, football365.com, teamtalk.com and planetrugby.com. Then grew goal.com to be the world's biggest soccer website in 18 languages and 37 territories. Was GM of Portals for Perform Group (now DAZN) with overall responsibility for sportingnews.com, spox.de and voetbalzone.nl.

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F1 Christian Horner Aston Martin Adrian Newey Lawrence Stroll Antonio Lobato