Alo_Fan wrote: ↑26 Nov 2025, 19:59
This TP decision makes no sense, I can't see why Newey would want this role when even Horner who is a TP doesn't want his next role in F1 to be a TP role. Newey is the greatest technical mind of all time and being wasted in a TP role, I don't understand it. And his personality isn't like Ross Brawn either, so I truly don't get this decision.
Just listen to Lawrence Stroll: "Adrian's team principal responsibilities will make full use of his creative and technical expertise."
This makes it clear that Newey will not actually be a team principal. He will not be a Todt, Dennis, Williams, Briatore, or Horner. It's purely about Newey pulling all the strings when it comes to the racing team, factory, and car, and having absolute control over everything technical. Without anyone (except Stroll) above him. Or Cowell. That's what Newey wanted from the start. Basically, Newey is now what Ross Brawn was at Ferrari, who had sole decision-making power over all technical matters. At Aston Martin, they had to make him team principal, whereas at Ferrari and Brawn, the technical director and a corresponding contract were sufficient at the time. Perhaps with the added advantage that Newey no longer has to convince anyone to spend money on a new simulator in order to get the expenditure approved, because he can do that himself. That's how it all looks. They wanted/had to make Newey team principal so that he would have the required full and sole technical control. And so that he wouldn't have to come to terms with anyone else or even ask anyone else. As I said, Stroll's comment makes that clear. Because a team principal has very little to do with creative expertise, or technical expertise for that matter. A team principal actually has completely different tasks and is actually concerned with things other than the creative process and technical details.