Alonso reacts to huge Adrian Newey change after Aston Martin announcement

Fernando Alonso has dubbed the organisational reshuffle at Aston Martin “good news”, with Adrian Newey taking on the role of team principal from 2026.

Aston Martin announced ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix that managing technical partner Newey would step into the role held by Andy Cowell, who will be taking on the role of chief strategy officer as the two divide their responsibilities, with the team saying this move has taken place with a view to both being able to maximise their strengths.

Alonso: Aston Martin ‘in good hands’ as Adrian Newey changes role

PlanetF1.com reported last weekend that Aston Martin had been considering a role change for Cowell, with multiple candidates having been mooted to potentially take on the role of team principal.

Instead, the Silverstone-based team opted for an internal solution as Newey and former Mercedes High Performance Powertrains chief Cowell agreed to divide responsibilities between them.

Now, at the top of Aston Martin, both sit under the overall leadership of executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, with both Cowell and Newey set to manage their own areas of expertise within the team.

Two-time world champion Alonso, though, feels that given the direction of the team anyway, such a move was a “normal logical step” heading into Formula 1’s new era.

Asked if he had received indication from Newey about a potential switch to a team principal role, Alonso told PlanetF1.com and others in Lusail: “Not really.

“I mean, we were discussing more technical stuff about the car than any other thing, or future dreams, but it’s good news.

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“He was anyway managing, in a way, the technical development of the car, but also the team, the people that was needed and taking care of which areas we need to reinforce as a team, which other areas were less important.

“So, in a way, he was doing internally, a lot of management, and Andy was doing a lot of management as well on the engine side and engine integration to the chassis.

“I mean, it was maybe a normal logical step into 2026, so we have probably the two best people. One [Newey] doing the chassis, and the team, one [Cowell] the engine integration and the team as well.

“We have a very strong leader with Lawrence, with the determination that Lawrence has and the commitment that he’s shown for many, many years already.

“So, between the three of them, I think we are in good hands. So, let’s move into 2026 with hopefully a better car.”

While Newey has long been feted as Formula 1’s famed ‘design guru’, this will be the first time in his esteemed career he takes on the duties of team principal officially from 2026 onwards.

Alonso highlighted that, together with Cowell, two of the sport’s most successful ever figures will combine at the top of Aston Martin with the aim of pushing the team forwards from here.

With Alonso finally having the chance to work with the designer on a personal basis, he has garnered that, when it comes to leadership style, there is a sole focus in play.

“I think with Adrian, there is only one style, which is performance,” Alonso said.

“There is no other word. There is just the unlimited search for performance and perfection.

“Great competitor, great leader, so I think the whole team – which is not that we are not into the performance direction now – but I think with Adrian, it will be even more extreme.

“If we can, embrace that approach…we cannot forget, this team is still very new. The base of the team is 300 people from the old days. And now, the team grew up so quickly in the last two or three years, so a lot of our employees are new to the sport, are young, energetic people that [will] need the guidance of Adrian, or these great leaders that we have to teach them what is the way to succeed in Formula 1.

“And we have the two most successful individuals ever in the sport, Andy Cowell and Adrian Newey.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

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