2025 Aston Martin | Aramco F1 Team

[peewon]

Wasn't Horner one of the reasons Newey left Red Bull? Now maybe Horner coming to Aston Martin aswell.

Adrian Newey would not have a problem working with Christian Horner again, per ESPN F1.

Horner is understood to be a leading candidate to join Aston Martin.

They say alot of this was about what happened with that woman at RBR. I think she was well known to Newey. I have no idea how or if they reconciled. Just what I read. Apparently they went to a Music concert together.

I never bought that for a second. They were seen hanging around in the paddock with each other, seemingly jovial, even at the height of the "scandal". It seemed fairly obvious to me that a large portion of the media reporting on this was carrying water for the anti-Horner side.

[zoroastar]

Perhaps Cowell's position as TP was only temporary to fill reshuffle with Krack.

thats the way i always saw it, until people started telling me that he was permanant. i always thought he was temporary in TP role. he was put there to try to put people into the spots that they would work best before newey arrived. it would be wild to me, if they actually sacked cowell. unless hes been butting heads with newey or daddy stroll.

[zoroastar]

horner is a killer TP. if aston snag him, that would be pretty epic. im sure that would mean newey is cool with it, which would be my only concern. i guess that would add another big player under the cap, so yeah, may need to move cowell to another department... horner would bring a lot more buz to aston even before they start winning, for better or for worse. cowell, not so much. horner has a lot more respect for alonso too, never got a great vibe from cowell in that department, even when the other driver hasnt out-qualified him for 2 years straight.

[Nikosar]

From Multiple sources seems like Horner is not Lawrence preferred candidate :

“Stroll is also said to have approached former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, current head of the Audi F1 project Mattia Binotto and Aston Martin's former CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

Whitmarsh, who was replaced by Cowell last year, was offered his old job back but is said to have refused.”

“Seidl, said by some sources to be the favourite for the role, would be a far less controversial appointment.”

Articles : BBC and TheRace

[diffuser]

From Multiple sources seems like Horner is not Lawrence preferred candidate :

“Stroll is also said to have approached former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, current head of the Audi F1 project Mattia Binotto and Aston Martin's former CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

Whitmarsh, who was replaced by Cowell last year, was offered his old job back but is said to have refused.”

“Seidl, said by some sources to be the favourite for the role, would be a far less controversial appointment.”

Articles : BBC and TheRace

So Binotto Applied for the CEO job back when Cowell got it. TP job would be a step down for him from where he is at Audi. Anyways , I hear he said no.
So are they looking for CEO a TP or both? Is Cowell gone gone or moved over to the PU integration? Whitmarsh was always a good CEO but not a good TP.

Horner wants ownership shares, I don't see him coming to Aston, Lawrence has already partnered with Newey there. I do see Lawrence buying Alpine with Horner and sticking the Honda PU there and letting Horner run the show at Alpine.


Not sure if this changes anything but ...

Paul Field - Group Director Production and Supply Chains, Red Bull -> Chief Operating Officer, Aston Martin (Newey hire)

[PinkFloydPulse]

Horner is the only logical choice. Seidl, well we all know how his tenure in McLaren ended. Whitmarsh already declined, and Binotto, c'cmon...
If Horner comes maybe, Hannah Schmitz would follow? hmm....

[peewon]

From Multiple sources seems like Horner is not Lawrence preferred candidate :

“Stroll is also said to have approached former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, current head of the Audi F1 project Mattia Binotto and Aston Martin's former CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

Whitmarsh, who was replaced by Cowell last year, was offered his old job back but is said to have refused.”

“Seidl, said by some sources to be the favourite for the role, would be a far less controversial appointment.”

Articles : BBC and TheRace

The Race and Andrew Benson at BBC are two outlets that have done the most anti-Horner reporting including pushing the theory that Newey was upset and leaving because of Horner. So I would take their reporting on this with a grain of salt.

As far as Seidl is concerned it would be a huge mistake IMO. He got sacked from McLaren with Zak Brown basically saying he didnt like how his team was responding to poor progress and then they immediately hit the front with Stella in charge with one upgrade next season.

Same story at Audi. A team desperate for talent from the paddock, with low expectations to start, sacks him after 19 months in charge for poor progress. His track record is not good.

[wiktor977]

I was not that bothered by the sackings from the Aero department as they were pre Newey hires and thats his area of expertise. Fact they are firing Cowell basically 10 months after making him team principal suggests that things may not be on the right path given that his expected role in PU development.

I don't think he was involved in the development of the PU with Honda

I dont mean directly as an engineer. He had traveled personally to Japan multiple times to liaison with the Honda team. A lot of directions for them were communicated by Cowell. Given his background, he would absolutely be focused on overseeing that aspect of the team apart from his broader responsibilities.

Its being reported that he had some disagreements with Newey. If he leaves, it seems kinda strange that it would escalate to this level. Although, there is some speculation now that he would just be moved to head the engine department.

If they really had some disagreements then they most likely are not on the technical side

[peewon]

I don't think he was involved in the development of the PU with Honda

I dont mean directly as an engineer. He had traveled personally to Japan multiple times to liaison with the Honda team. A lot of directions for them were communicated by Cowell. Given his background, he would absolutely be focused on overseeing that aspect of the team apart from his broader responsibilities.

Its being reported that he had some disagreements with Newey. If he leaves, it seems kinda strange that it would escalate to this level. Although, there is some speculation now that he would just be moved to head the engine department.

If they really had some disagreements then they most likely are not on the technical side

It was reported as "differences in direction of the 2026 car and team structure moving forward." To me that sounds like two possibilities. Either Newey and Cowell just dont get along and Newey just wants to get his friend back in F1 who understands how he works completely. Or some reporter was trying to imagine what a point of contention between Newey and Cowell could be and then just writing it.

[diffuser]

I dont mean directly as an engineer. He had traveled personally to Japan multiple times to liaison with the Honda team. A lot of directions for them were communicated by Cowell. Given his background, he would absolutely be focused on overseeing that aspect of the team apart from his broader responsibilities.

Its being reported that he had some disagreements with Newey. If he leaves, it seems kinda strange that it would escalate to this level. Although, there is some speculation now that he would just be moved to head the engine department.

If they really had some disagreements then they most likely are not on the technical side

It was reported as "differences in direction of the 2026 car and team structure moving forward." To me that sounds like two possibilities. Either Newey and Cowell just dont get along and Newey just wants to get his friend back in F1 who understands how he works completely. Or some reporter was trying to imagine what a point of contention between Newey and Cowell could be and then just writing it.

I would interpret Cowell being sent to PU integration as Newey saying to Cowell, " You don't know what you're talking about when it comes to anything chassis. Go play with what you know."

[ME4ME]

Such a strange situation. You'd expect Newey to collide with Cardile not necessarily Cowell.

But according to a previous Cowell quote Newey and Cardile brief eachother over lunch together most days, so I guess they handle the overlapping responsabilities well and are sufficienctly aligned. At least for the time being.

So one can wonder, what's the problem with Cowell. He seems like a super professional guy.
But maybe thats the problem, being too nice, too linear and too process oriented and too comprimising to gell with Newey.
I perceive Newey to be a bit like Musk, having a very very strong vision, accept no BS and be uncompromising in the pursuit of that vision.

Horner obviously knew not to stand in the way of that pursuit. Regardless of their issues at the end, Horner and Newey always seemed aligned with regard to what they were actualy doing: running a racing team, not an industrial engineering company. They knew when to break self imposed rules and to be nimble in their decision making and to pivot radically when needed.

[stephen]

Horner and Alonso on the same team would be absolute chaos, way too much drama at one place.

[Farnborough]

Such a strange situation. You'd expect Newey to collide with Cardile not necessarily Cowell.

But according to a previous Cowell quote Newey and Cardile brief eachother over lunch together most days, so I guess they handle the overlapping responsabilities well and are sufficienctly aligned. At least for the time being.

So one can wonder, what's the problem with Cowell. He seems like a super professional guy.
But maybe thats the problem, being too nice, too linear and too process oriented and too comprimising to gell with Newey.
I perceive Newey to be a bit like Musk, having a very very strong vision, accept no BS and be uncompromising in the pursuit of that vision.

Horner obviously knew not to stand in the way of that pursuit. Regardless of their issues at the end, Horner and Newey always seemed aligned with regard to what they were actualy doing: running a racing team, not an industrial engineering company. They knew when to break self imposed rules and to be nimble in their decision making and to pivot radically when needed.

He was chased to go to RB FOR this attribute. There really is only one measure of success in this industry, and that's "success" nobody is employing someone of this capability to waste their time by obfuscation and in not dealing with elements & facilities that stop the success happening.

[Nikosar]

Horner and Alonso on the same team would be absolute chaos, way too much drama at one place.

Redbull and Horner chased Alonso 6 times : 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and two more in 2018

So Horner will be more than happy to work together.

[madridista]

https://inews.co.uk/sport/formula-one/c ... ks-4066796

According to one source, Horner, axed controversially by Red Bull in July, was seen at Aston’s Silverstone factory “under the cover of darkness” on Monday as speculation raged about his candidacy for the role of team principal, replacing out-of-favour Andy Cowell.

Horner apparently seen at the AM factory this monday