Aston Martin’s Adrian Newey to step down as team leader – sources

Adrian Newey is ready to step again from his team management function at Aston Martin to focus solely on technical issues, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

Newey grew to become managing technical accomplice and shareholder in Aston Martin’s F1 team in March 2025, but took on the full team boss role this season as properly when Andy Cowell was shuffled out of the identical place.

Newey is now relinquishing that function. Autosport reported On Thursday that Aston Martin will rent Audi team boss Jonathan Wheatley.

Sources have instructed ESPN no settlement has been reached but however that Wheatley is the possible rent.

An Aston Martin spokesperson mentioned: “The team will not be engaging in media speculation about its senior leadership team. Adrian Newey continues to lead the team as Team Principal and Managing Technical Partner.”

Team sources have instructed ESPN that Newey’s function as defacto team boss was at all times seen as an interim association, though that was by no means conveyed publicly.

The new rent, the identical sources mentioned, will nonetheless reply to Newey in no matter the brand new construction seems to be like.

The function was uncharted territory for Newey, probably the most profitable automobile designer within the sport.

It places him entrance and middle in explaining Aston Martin’s present struggles with new engine companions Honda. In Australia, Newey gave a collection of reports conferences which included the revaluation of the engine causes such violent vibrations that each Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll feared permanent nerve damage.

Sources have instructed ESPN quite a few candidates have been sounded out in regards to the function over the previous few months past Wheatley, together with Max Verstappen’s lengthy-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and former McLaren boss Andreas Seidl.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner was additionally in prolonged discussions with team proprietor Lawrence Stroll about changing into the team’s CEO.

That function in the end would have been extra all-encompassing than the team boss function Aston Martin are at present wanting to fill.

Horner’s settlement with Red Bull will enable him to work in paddock once more from July onwards.

Last November, a leaked video confirmed Stroll addressing Aston Martin staff to say that Horner wouldn’t be becoming a member of the team in any capability.

Horner continues to pursue a take care of the Alpine team as a part of a consortium shopping for a stakeholding, however ESPN understands he has not closed the door totally on the thought of ​​taking over some sort of function at Aston Martin.

A transfer for Wheatley would see Red Bull’s former sporting director go away Audi after simply 10 months within the job. Wheatley labored at Red Bull with Newey for 20 years, by way of two totally different stints of dominance on the high of F1.

It is known Newey will stay a key a part of the team regardless of stepping again from his present function, a call that was taken with team proprietor Lawrence Stroll after the Australian Grand Prix.

Stroll has invested closely in Aston Martin changing into title contenders beneath the present guidelines set, spending massive cash on a state-of-the-artwork team headquarters reverse the Silverstone circuit. The new facility consists of the team’s personal wind tunnel, which got here on-line final yr.

Stroll’s plan for the brand new rules additionally included the unique partnership with Honda, however to this point that has been a nightmare.

Newey himself mentioned forward of the Australia opener that the Japanese producer’s engine vibrates a lot that drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll risked everlasting nerve harm in the event that they held the steering wheel too lengthy.

Since the second race in China, video has emerged of Alonso repeatedly taking his fingers of the steering wheel whereas driving the automobile due to the extreme vibrations.

Neither he or Stroll have accomplished a race distance.

Over the course of the opening race it was revealed Honda’s engine had destroyed two of the 4 batteries Aston Martin can use all through the complete season earlier than incurring grid penalties