Aston Martin sets record straight over Adrian Newey Chinese GP absence

Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack says it was never the plan for Adrian Newey to travel to last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix after his absence raised eyebrows online.

Newey was appointed Aston Martin team principal ahead of the F1 2026 season having arrived in the role of managing technical partner, as well as becoming a team shareholder, last year.

Aston Martin addresses Adrian Newey’s Chinese Grand Prix absence

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Aston Martin has had a troubled start to the new season, the first of its highly anticipated technical partnership with Honda, with a vibration issue proving problematic.

Newey claimed ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix that drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll risk “permanent nerve damage” if they carry out too many consecutive laps with the AMR26 car.

Aston Martin is yet to complete a full race distance in F1 2026 with both cars retiring from last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

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Shortly after being confirmed as Andy Cowell’s successor last year, Newey commented that it made sense for him to take the team principal’s role – the first time in his career that he has held a team management position – as he was planning to attend “all the early races” in 2026.

As such, Newey’s absence in China last weekend raised eyebrows on social media in light of Aston Martin’s challenging start to the new season.

Krack, who served as Aston Martin team principal himself between 2022 and 2024, has confirmed that it was “always clear” that Newey would not attend every race in 2026 with his absence at the Chinese Grand Prix part of the “plan.”

He said in Shanghai: “There is a plan in place about where he’s supposed to come and where he does not, so we have not changed that.”

Asked if Newey will miss further races this season, he added: “I would have to go through the plan, but it was always clear that Adrian was not going to do all the races.”

Krack went on to add that Newey working remotely had no effect on Aston Martin’s weekend in China, pointing out that some broadcasters also cover races from overseas.

He said: “These days, with modern communication, I think it doesn’t really matter where people are sitting.

“I heard Sky Germany was commentating the Australian Grand Prix from Germany, so I think that is no problem these days.”

It is increasingly common for team principals to miss a select number of races per season against the backdrop of F1’s ever-expanding calendar, which has swelled to a record-breaking 24 rounds over recent years.

PlanetF1.com understands that Newey’s schedule as team principal is similar to that of his immediate predecessor, Cowell, who attended between 10 and 14 races per season.

Newey’s choice of the races he attends is understood to depend on where he feels he can bring most value, with it thought to have been important for him to lead technical decisions at the factory in the aftermath of the Australian Grand Prix.

Newey attended just three races in total last season, appearing at the Monaco, British and Qatar grands prix.

Meanwhile, Tom McCullough, the highly respected F1 engineer who currently serves as the performance director of Aston Martin Performance Director, was present with the team at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Despite suggestions elsewhere, it is understood that McCullough was in Shanghai to focus on his driver development role with Aston Martin, with the former Williams and Sauber man no longer involved in the Silverstone-based team’s F1 activities.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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