Aston Martin has made sweeping changes to its leadership as it seeks to recover from a lackluster 2024 season. Andy Cowell, who was announced as CEO in July 2024 and began his role in October, has now added the title of team principal to his responsibilities. The former head of Mercedes’ power unit operations is tasked with steering Aston Martin back into contention after the team’s sharp decline in performance.
Leadership overhaul at Aston Martin
The 2024 campaign marked a disappointing turn for the team. Despite finishing fifth in the constructors’ championship for the second consecutive year, Aston Martin’s points tally plummeted from 280 in 2023 to just 94. While Fernando Alonso secured eight podiums in 2023, 2024 brought no such highs.
To address these struggles, Aston Martin underwent significant leadership changes. Mike Krack was demoted, making way for Cowell to assume team principal duties alongside his CEO role. Additionally, renowned aerodynamics guru Adrian Newey joined the team from Red Bull, with his influence expected to take effect with the 2026 car under new F1 regulations. Enrico Cardile replaced Dan Fallows as technical director, continuing Aston Martin’s trend of poaching talent from Red Bull.
Cowell’s vision for a turnaround
In a candid interview on Aston Martin’s official website, Cowell highlighted the challenges the team faced in 2024, including a failure to translate their relentless update schedule into on-track performance.
“There is no lack of effort throughout the team. We definitely won the World Championship for the most updates in 2024, but those updates didn’t deliver the lap time,” Cowell admitted.
To address this, Cowell emphasized the need for a more robust development process:
“We need to make sure that all our tools and processes at the Technology Campus are working well enough to ensure that whenever we take an update to the circuit, we are at least 90 per cent certain that it’s going to work on the track and meet our expectations.”
Focus on technology and accuracy
Aston Martin is banking on technological advancements to close the gap to the frontrunners. With a state-of-the-art wind tunnel coming online and powerful computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools at their disposal, Cowell is optimistic about achieving a higher success rate in their development pipeline.
“Our simulations can give us a robust steer, and I’m confident we can get to the point where we’re right 90 per cent of the time. That’s the level that World Championship-winning teams are operating at, so that needs to be our aim at a minimum,” Cowell stated.
Adrian Newey’s arrival: A game-changer for 2026
While Newey officially joins Aston Martin in 2025, his impact will be limited initially. His contributions will primarily influence the team’s 2026 car, which will be designed under new regulations. Known for his innovative designs and championship-winning pedigree, Newey’s arrival is expected to be a turning point for the team.
The road ahead: Rebuilding Aston Martin’s legacy
Cowell’s dual role as CEO and team principal represents a bold strategy to unify leadership and streamline decision-making. However, the team’s success will depend on effectively leveraging its technological upgrades and new leadership team.
Aston Martin faces an uphill battle to climb the F1 grid, but with Cowell at the helm, Alonso’s racing acumen, and Newey’s future influence, the team is laying the groundwork for a long-term revival.
