Aston Martin has shifted its primary focus to the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, making an early strategic gamble. Andy Cowell, the team principal and CEO, admitted that this has made the 2025 campaign a tough one. However, the plan is to gain a long-term edge over rivals. The project’s cornerstone is legendary designer Adrian Newey, who officially joined the team earlier this year.
Newey set up his base at Silverstone in March and immediately immersed himself in designing the 2026 challenger. Apart from a few casual inputs on the 2025 car during lunch breaks, his full attention remains fixed on the new regulatory era.
Newey’s Unique Work Style Wins Over the Team
Newey returned to the F1 paddock during the Monaco Grand Prix, where he mentioned how he often enters a “design trance” while developing a car. Cowell confirmed this is exactly what’s happening at Aston Martin now.
“Yes, he’s an exceptionally focused individual, extremely driven, single-minded, and he’s doing detailed designs on his drawing board in his office,” Cowell said during an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.
When asked in jest whether Newey had started sleeping at the factory, Cowell replied with a laugh, “Well, we all need beds in the factory!”
“You go in to catch up with him, and you see that he’s focused intently on a bit of detailed design. Like many of us, when you’re focused intently on something, it does look like you’re in a trance. His detail focus is very impressive to see. You’re almost apologising for distracting him! You’ve got a moment; I’d just like to talk to you about something else…” Cowell laughed.
Cowell admitted he enjoys watching Newey work. “It’s enjoyable to see, and his ability to look at the overall architecture of a car, balancing all the competing systems, I’d say is the best in the industry.”
Engineering Precision Meets Organisational Strategy
Newey’s engineering methods have quickly earned respect across Aston Martin’s technical departments. “Also, his first principles engineering approach is very keen. He’s very laser-focused on that,” Cowell added. “There are lots of structural mechanical engineers that I’ve spoken to who said his first principle engineering is awesome. Stiffness of a component, BDQ, he’s always reminding us of that. So yeah, he’s an exceptional engineer.”
Newey isn’t working alone. Enrico Cardile, who arrived from Ferrari a few months ago, has taken on a complementary leadership role. Cowell made it clear that their responsibilities are well defined to avoid any clash.
“Adrian’s very much into the detailed design, right from the beginning of March, into the regulations, understanding the concepts that have been created and then moving that on. He’s focused heavily on the core architecture of the car, so the aspects of the car that you probably don’t want to change through a racing season. That’s been his focus initially,” Cowell said.
“And he’s heavily involved in detail aero work, detail mechanical work, suspension work. You’ll see him both at his drawing board and at engineers’ CFD screens.”
Cardile oversees the broader structure of the operation. “Enrico is looking at the organisation, looking at the growth and development of people and how it all fits together. He’s looking at how our innovation machine works, but also how the teamwork is optimised so that everybody is playing their role at the right time,” Cowell explained.
“But they’ve got offices next door to each other. The majority of the time they’re having lunch together, and I think there’s a really good relationship between them. I think they both understand their strengths, and it looks very positive to me.”
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