Cowell Breaking news, exclusive interviews & reports - Motorsport Week https://www.motorsportweek.com/tag/cowell/ Motorsport Week is an independent, FIA accredited motorsport website delivering the latest Formula 1, Formula E, GP2, GP3, WEC, IndyCar, Nascar, Formula 3, WRC, WRX, DTM, IMSA and MotoGP news and results. Sun, 24 Aug 2025 13:16:18 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cropped-favicon-1-32x32.png Cowell Breaking news, exclusive interviews & reports - Motorsport Week https://www.motorsportweek.com/tag/cowell/ 32 32 How Aston Martin is preparing for the challenge of F1 2026 https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/08/24/how-aston-martin-is-preparing-for-the-challenge-of-f1-2026/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/08/24/how-aston-martin-is-preparing-for-the-challenge-of-f1-2026/#respond Sun, 24 Aug 2025 13:30:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=220426 Aston Martin will be hoping for success when F1 begins its new era next year

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has explained how the team is preparing for next year's F1 season, along with the accompanying new set of regulations.

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Aston Martin will be hoping for success when F1 begins its new era next year

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has explained how the team is preparing for next year’s Formula 1 season, along with the accompanying new set of regulations.

The sport is readying itself for the start of a new era, with new rules signifying a huge change in cars, both aerodynamically and in terms of engine power.

A significant number of eyes may be on the Silverstone-based squad for reasons that are two-fold.

Firstly, the team will begin a new era as a user of Honda power units, as the Japanese marque returns after quitting the sport at the end of 2021.

Secondly, Aston will take to the track with a car designed on the drawing board of famed technical guru Adrian Newey, who formally joined the team in March.

Cowell revealed his own personal approach since joining the team, initially as Group CEO in 2024, in an interview with RacingNews365.

“Joining the team, I was keen to learn about the team overall and then dig down into the world of aerodynamics as an area that I knew of, but not any great detail as to what an aerodynamicist does,” he said.

“And then you pull a plan together, and you get stuck into going from what you can see to where you’d like the team to be.

“That learning just carries on. Every day is a new experience of learning and reflecting and thinking about ‘what’s the core purpose of the team?’

“Getting everybody focused on the objective of making our formula Aston Martin, powered by Honda racing car, to be better and measured against our reference.

“How do we get it so that every single area of our business focuses on performance improvement?

“The steeper we can make that curve, the quicker we will improve, which means you overtake the opposition. And if you keep focused on that. You don’t let glory pollute your head.

“You stay ahead, so it’s trying to get everything aligned to that, listening to all the requests and working out, what are we going to do, first, second and third – because you can’t do everything at the same time.”

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell is hopeful that the team will be competitive in the new era of F1
Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell is hopeful that the team will be competitive in the new era of F1

Aston Martin aiming to be strong across future F1 seasons

Since Lawrence Stroll took ownership, the team, then known as Racing Point, has undergone several changes, not just in its name.

One of its recent statements has been the continual growth and expansion of its technology campus at Silverstone, not just the addition of personnel such as Newey.

“Change is not trivial,” Cowell explained. “We’re going racing, we’re engineering a car for next year, adding change on top of that is extra workload.

“Making change requires extra effort. There are always hurdles. There’s always a feeling of, ‘do we really need to?’ and it’s just leaning into that.

“It’s leaning into that and keeping the medium to long-term focus, because it’s not just about 2026. It’s the first season of us being a works team.

“But there are many more championships after that point, and we want to be strong across all of those.

“That’s where Lawrence is exceptionally good at having that vision and investing further for the medium to long-term.

“You don’t invest in a wind tunnel if it’s short-term. You don’t invest in the campus that we’ve experienced if you’re there for the short term.

“Lawrence gives a very clear vision. We’re all impatient, but the investment supports a medium to long-term approach.”

READ MORE – Mercedes discloses 2026 F1 cars could hit astonishing 400km/h speeds

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Aston Martin delivers update on ‘huge transformation’ with Honda for 2026 https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/07/24/aston-martin-delivers-update-on-huge-transformation-with-honda-for-2026/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/07/24/aston-martin-delivers-update-on-huge-transformation-with-honda-for-2026/#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:30:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=217009 Aston Martin will join forces with Honda next year

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has delivered an update on the team's progress with Honda, as the two entities gear up for its forthcoming F1 partnership for 2026.

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Aston Martin will join forces with Honda next year

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has delivered an update on the team’s progress with Honda, as the two entities gear up for its forthcoming Formula 1 partnership for 2026.

The Silverstone-based squad is ditching its status as a Mercedes customer team and will become the sole user of Honda power units amid the start of F1’s new regulations next year.

Honda is returning to the sport in a full capacity for the first time since 2021, since handing operational duties of its engines to its previous customer Red Bull’s powertrains division.

The Honda Racing Corporation president, Koji Watanabe, recently stated that both parties are conducting “multiple tests” together, and has studied components in both Japan and the UK.

Cowell has provided further information on how progress is being made, telling F1’s official website that hardware tests have taken place, and indicated positivity on it.

“The work’s been going on for many, many months so the design of the Honda power unit is very much fitting hand in glove with the back of our monocoque and the front of our transmission,” he said.

“The hardware has been tested in Sakura [Honda’s power unit base in Japan] and our transmission has been tested here at Silverstone as well as on the back of the power unit in Sakura.

“There are daily meetings and then there are regular more senior level meetings to check in to make sure that we’re all working in the right direction.”

Paddock atmosphere - Honda. 19.02.2020. Formula One Testing, Day One, Barcelona, Spain. Wednesday
Honda is giving exclusivity of its new powertrains to the Silverstone-based squad

Cowell impressed by Aston Martin ‘enthusiasm’ with Honda

Cowell also said that the personnel at Silverstone are buoyant by the prospect of working with Honda, despite the difficulties the process is causing.

“It is a transformation going from a customer team to a works team at the same time as all the regulation changes and the new factory and all the new equipment,” he said.

“It’s a huge transformation for everybody in our team.

“But I’m really impressed with the enthusiasm that everybody’s got. Everybody wants to get to the front. Everybody wants to do well.

“Everybody’s open-minded to making changes in the way we work in responsibilities and so on. Everybody’s busy, everybody’s making lots of change, but it’s enjoyable change.”

READ MOREAston Martin teases ‘big component’ upgrade for F1 Belgian GP

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Aston Martin teases ‘big component’ upgrade for F1 Belgian GP https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/07/23/aston-martin-teases-big-component-upgrade-for-f1-belgian-gp/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/07/23/aston-martin-teases-big-component-upgrade-for-f1-belgian-gp/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:16:42 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=216964 Aston Martin's AMR25 will be getting an update for Spa

Aston Martin Team Principal Andy Cowell has teased that a new upgrade for the side will be brought to this weekend's F1 Belgian GP

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Aston Martin's AMR25 will be getting an update for Spa

Aston Martin Team Principal Andy Cowell has teased that a new upgrade for the side will be brought to this weekend’s Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

The Silverstone-based squad came away from its home race two weeks ago with a double-points finish, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso coming home in seventh and eighth respectively.

Aston Martin made good from the changeable weather conditions to score the points, though Alonso rued a “missed opportunity” to finish even higher in the race.

Speaking to SiriusXM, Cowell discussed the challenges of learning more about the AMR25, which has not performed well over much of the season, due to the weather.

“Gathering data on the aerodynamic package was difficult to do [at Silverstone] because of the wet, changeable conditions,” he said, “but we’ll get together in the factory and work out exactly what we’ve learnt regarding the floor and the minor top bodywork changes.”

Cowell then made the revelation that it will be implementing a new upgrade for this weekend’s race at Spa-Francorchamps.

“We’ve got another big component coming to Spa, and we’ll work out what we’re doing for the rest of the year as well,” he divulged.

“We’re not putting any more significant aerodynamic resource on, but if there are things that we can spot that we can tidy up that just help refine our tools, doing that work now will help us for ’26 and beyond.”

The team will need to maintain its improving form to maintain a battle in the midfield

Recent results have created ‘positive mood’ at Aston Martin

Cowell has seen Aston overcome its initially bad start and gradually, mostly via Alonso’s efforts, haul itself into the midfield battle with Williams and Racing Bulls, alongside Sauber.

The team’s steadily-improving form has, according to Cowell, boosted the morale within the camp and provides the necessary encouragement to get even better.

“The mood’s a lot more positive,” he expressed. “If the car’s quicker, if you’re getting points, you get the feedback.

“It’s the same amount of hard work going in regardless, but having the positive feedback of points, is always good for the mood on campus on Monday morning. So that just helps drive things forward.

“As ever, it’s always many things that go to make a performance improvement.

“The package that was put on the car in Imola has gone well, and now there have been several races you can look at the data and compare yourself against your opponents, and that’s pleasing to see.

“But it is also understanding the car, understanding the nuances of the car, and how best to optimise the car around that.

“It’s knowing the strengths and also the weaknesses of the car, but also the team trackside, the team that’s supporting in the factory, are working well together, which is very pleasing to see.”

READ MORE – Fernando Alonso hits back at F1 critics amid Aston Martin resurgence

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Aston Martin probed on alleged George Russell F1 interest https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/07/12/aston-martin-probed-on-alleged-george-russell-f1-interest/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/07/12/aston-martin-probed-on-alleged-george-russell-f1-interest/#respond Sat, 12 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=215727 George Russell has been linked with Aston Martin

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has denied a report that the team could make a bid to sign George Russell should the Mercedes driver become available in F1.

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George Russell has been linked with Aston Martin

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has denied a report that the team could make a bid to sign George Russell should the Mercedes driver become available in Formula 1.

Russell’s prospects have become a principal talking point since his bombshell admission last month that Mercedes is engaged in ongoing talks with Max Verstappen.

The German marque has two vacancies approaching 2026 as Russell and team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli do not have contracts in place past the current campaign.

Unlike 12 months ago, Verstappen has not given a guarantee that he will remain at Red Bull as speculation continues to mount that he might be heading to Mercedes.

Regardless, Russell is convinced that he will still be on the grid in 2026, though he insisted that he has not been in contact with other teams to sound out alternatives.

But while there has been a claim that Aston Martin is monitoring the situation with intrigue, Cowell vowed that there are no plans to disband the side’s existing line-up.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are tied down at Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are tied down at Aston Martin

Cowell highlighted how continuing with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will be integral to the British marque hitting the ground running once the rules reset in 2026.

When asked about the report linking Russell to Aston Martin, Cowell told media including Motorsport Week: “We’re super fortunate. We’ve got this exciting run into ’26.

“Canging the power unit – we’re working with Honda on that – changing the aerodynamics, we’ve got Adrian [Newey] working on that, we’ve got new facilities.

“But the stability that we’ve got in having Lance and Fernando signed up for next year means that they’re not only helping us now develop the tools that we’re using for ’26, ’27 and beyond, but they’re working directly on the concept of the car.

“The discussions in the wind tunnel are about the aerodynamic shape, but they’re also about driver environment.

“How much space is there in the cockpit? Adrian tends not to leave much space in the cockpit. Everything’s exceptionally tight.

“But that stability of having two drivers signed up through into ’26 is really helping us.”

READ MORE – What Red Bull suspects about George Russell instigating Max Verstappen to Mercedes stories

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Why Lance Stroll is still struggling despite Aston Martin’s 2025 F1 resurgence https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/06/21/why-lance-stroll-is-still-struggling-despite-aston-martins-2025-f1-resurgence/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/06/21/why-lance-stroll-is-still-struggling-despite-aston-martins-2025-f1-resurgence/#respond Sat, 21 Jun 2025 12:15:43 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=213119 Lance Stroll finished 17th at his home race in Canada

Aston Martin has taken encouraging steps forward as of late in F1 – scoring consecutive points finishes in Canada and Barcelona with Fernando Alonso frequently showcasing the car’s improved pace thanks to the Imola upgrade.

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Lance Stroll finished 17th at his home race in Canada

Aston Martin has taken encouraging steps forward as of late in Formula 1 – scoring consecutive points finishes in Canada and Barcelona with Fernando Alonso frequently showcasing the car’s improved pace thanks to the Imola upgrade.

After his worst season start since his rookie season in 2001, the Spaniard finally broke into the top 10 at his home Grand Prix.

Struggling with balance and feel in the early rounds, Aston Martin introduced its first major upgrade in Imola – including a new floor, diffuser, and revised sidepods.

While not aimed at raw pace, the changes improved the car’s consistency and gave both drivers a better sense of control behind the wheel.

That was certainly Alonso’s impression after securing seventh place in Canada.

“It seems that I’m able to push the car to the limit now in the last few races since Imola,” Alonso told media including Motorsport Week.

“With the new package, I’m much more linked with the car. I feel the car and I can push to the maximum. I feel in a good moment.”

His team-mate, however, saw things very differently.

After missing the Spanish Grand Prix due to lingering wrist issues, Lance Stroll returned in Canada, still without a points finish since Miami.

But his home race offered no turnaround – instead, he finished a lowly 17th, compounding an already frustrating weekend.

Visibly dejected, his tone stood in stark contrast to Alonso’s cautious optimism.

“I don’t really feel any difference in the car,” said Stroll when asked if he shared Alonso’s assessment of the upgraded package.

“Maybe he’s just been getting good results and he feels good in the car because of that, but I don’t know, I felt pretty slow.”

Lance Stroll has finished 15th or lower on a Sunday since China
Lance Stroll has finished 15th or lower on a Sunday since China

Stroll’s struggles run deeper than strategy

Aston Martin Team Principal Andy Cowell also weighed in, keen to address the growing performance gap between his two drivers.

He pointed to the disrupted qualifying session in Montreal as a key factor in Stroll’s struggles that weekend.

The Canadian had shown promising pace early on, setting competitive times on his first set of Soft tyres.

But in a strategic switch, Aston Martin opted to send him out on Mediums for the second run, believing it offered more potential in the evolving conditions.

That plan quickly unravelled when Alex Albon’s engine cover tore off, triggering a red flag that halted the session.

Stroll was left with just five minutes to respond once running resumed, but couldn’t hook up a lap quick enough to escape Q1.

From there, his weekend never recovered: “The set-ups are a little bit different now, but not tremendously so,” Cowell said.

“We saw in the beginning of Q1, Lance on that first Soft was right up there, and so I think it is just the choice from us of having a Soft and then a Medium in Q1 before the red flag scuppered the opportunity for him to put a quick time in.

“If the bodywork hadn’t blown off of Albon’s Williams, I think we’d have seen both of them in Q3.”

From Stroll’s viewpoint, while misjudged qualifying strategy clearly played a role — he admitted Canada “100% [was] where the weekend all fell apart” — he also hinted at deeper, longer-term issues that can’t be fixed overnight.

“I know we’re slow and I have a good feeling that it’s going to be [the] case again in Austria because the car has some characteristics that never change and there’s problems, limitations, that I feel never change,” he said.

“So it’s probably just going to be the same again and again and again.”

Aston Martin’s quest for race consistency

While a second upgrade package could help address Stroll’s issues, Cowell suggested the team might instead follow its approach with Alonso — adding more downforce to boost driver confidence and enable more effective setup choices.

“Having more load in all corner types helps,” added Cowell.

“It’s then less of a distraction when it comes to what bits to put on the car for FP1, what bits to do experiments with through FP1 and FP2.

“And then you are into refinement on the final order things, which is how a race weekend should be.

“That then means that there’s greater analysis done on those fine order bits, and the drivers can dial it in better.”

With the AMR25 showing strong qualifying pace but struggling to convert that into race results, Aston Martin is carefully reassessing its approach.

Finding the right balance between Saturday speed and Sunday consistency is crucial, especially when tyre management plays such a pivotal role.

Cowell added: “That is something that we were all looking at after the previous few races, where we can see that we’re qualifying better, but we’re not picking points up.

“At the end of the day, what we’re after is chasing championship points.

“So we have to look at the way we set the car up for the race, and we have to think about tyre allocation for [both] qualifying and for the race.”

READ MORE – Aston Martin reacts to rumour linking Fernando Alonso with Alpine F1 return

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Aston Martin reacts to rumour linking Fernando Alonso with Alpine F1 return https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/06/20/aston-martin-reacts-to-rumour-linking-fernando-alonso-with-alpine-f1-return/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/06/20/aston-martin-reacts-to-rumour-linking-fernando-alonso-with-alpine-f1-return/#respond Fri, 20 Jun 2025 07:01:56 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=212898 Fernando Alonso left Alpine after the end of the 2022 F1 season

Aston Martin has brushed off speculation linking Fernando Alonso with a surprise return to Alpine, following the Spaniard’s recent visits to his former team’s garage during Formula 1 race weekends.

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Fernando Alonso left Alpine after the end of the 2022 F1 season

Aston Martin has responded to fresh rumours linking Fernando Alonso with a shock move back to Alpine, as speculation swirls around his long-term future in Formula 1.

While the Spaniard remains committed on paper, his current contract lasting until the end of the 2026 season, whispers in the paddock suggest there may be more to the story behind the scenes.

Alonso returned to the sport with Alpine in 2021 after a two-year hiatus, before switching to Aston Martin in 2023.

He made an immediate impact, securing multiple podiums early on. However, momentum faded, and the team slipped to fifth in the Constructors’ standings by season’s end — a position it failed to improve on in 2024.

This year has been even more challenging. Aston Martin currently sits eighth, with Alonso scoring his first points of the season only at his home Grand Prix in Spain.

A recent upgrade at Imola appears to have sparked some recovery, with back-to-back points finishes in Spain and Canada.

Yet during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, Sky Sports F1’s David Croft observed Alonso making multiple visits to the Alpine motorhome — fuelling speculation of a surprise return to the Enstone-based squad.

Team Principal Andy Cowell, however, brushed off the speculation, insisting there’s no cause for concern over Alonso’s visits.

“I’m happy for Fernando to wander into any garage,” he told Sky Sports.

“He knows lots of people up and down the pit lane. I’m also happy with the fact that he’s contracted to us next year and hopefully will stay with us long term as an ambassador with us.

“And it’s great working with Fernando, it’s always good to have a competitive person that pushes just like you used to [Rosberg] at Mercedes and pushes the team on and galvanises the team.”

Fernando Alonso’s ties to Flavio Briatore date back to his Renault days laying the foundation before the team became Alpine
Fernando Alonso’s ties to Flavio Briatore date back to his Renault days before the team became Alpine

Alonso’s future hinges on 2026 regulatory overhaul

Aston Martin’s competitiveness in 2026 — especially with the new Mercedes power unit — will be a key factor in Alonso’s future plans.

On the challenges ahead, Cowell highlighted the scale of changes coming next season:

“Next year is one of those unique changes in the regulations where it’s not just the power unit, it’s also the aerodynamic regulations and the fuel as well with an advanced sustainable fuel, different tires and just different tactics during the race,” he explained.

“How do you use straight line mode and manage the energy around the lap during the race?

“So it’s every single aspect of the race car that’s changing next year and I guess it’s the culmination of all those changes that makes it exciting.”

At 43, and having retired once before, Alonso’s racing future remains uncertain.

He’s still chasing his elusive 33rd career win, but whether that comes with Aston Martin, Alpine, or another team is anyone’s guess.

The two-time World Champion will surely recall how his 2015 move to McLaren unfolded, making him likely to approach any potential career change with extra caution.

READ MORE – How Adrian Newey-led 2026 Aston Martin car will dictate Fernando Alonso’s F1 future

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Aston Martin explains Adrian Newey presence at F1 Monaco GP https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/22/aston-martin-explains-adrian-newey-presence-at-f1-monaco-gp/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/22/aston-martin-explains-adrian-newey-presence-at-f1-monaco-gp/#comments Thu, 22 May 2025 12:12:01 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=209213 Adrian Newey, Aston Martin F1 2025

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has explained the reason for Adrian Newey attending at the F1 Monaco GP, saying the team will utilise the technical guru's "experience and insight".

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Adrian Newey, Aston Martin F1 2025

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has explained the reason for Adrian Newey attending the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, saying the team will utilise the technical guru’s “experience and insight”.

Newey, who formally joined the British marque in March, has primarily been working back at the team’s Silverstone HQ, getting to grips with the regulations for the forthcoming 2026 campaign.

The 66-year-old recently revealed in an in-house interview with the team that he has been having minor conversations about the AMR25, which has so far yieled just 14 points from the first seven rounds.

Its lack of competitiveness may have prompted Cowell to dispatch Newey to Monaco, who, according to the Team Principal, will also be keeping a keen eye on the general organisation of the its race weekend operations.

“So when Adrian joined at the beginning of March we said, ‘right we need Adrian to focus on 2026 and the architecture of the car’, which is what he’s primarily been focused on,” Cowell told media, including Motorsport Week.

“Lunchtime conversations have not just included what he’s eating and what he’s been doing at the weekend,” Cowell joked, “it’s also included conversations about our existing car, the ‘25 car and what might be issues.

“But it’s a separate engineering team that have been working on the ‘25 car. As he’s been working on the ‘26 car he gets to see the tools that we’ve got, specifically CFD, wind tunnel, the whole journey of information from a drawing board to wind tunnel results.

“And with that we learn about what are our strengths, what are our weaknesses and then how do we maintain our strengths and improve our weaknesses. So he’s been doing that within the factory.

“This weekend he’s here and he’ll see the way we operate in a race weekend environment, the way we optimise the car we’ve got, the way we play a different strategy and so having his experience and insight looking to see what’s going well, what’s not so well just helps with our jobs list of what to work on to become a stronger team.”

Cowell added that Newey’s experience, insight and creativity “can help the whole team and we need to engineer a faster car, but we need to maximise the performance of it until the very last lap of every race, so his insight and creativity will help absolutely everybody in the team.”

Team Principal Andy Cowell is hopeful Newey will further understand how the team works

Adrian Newey will help Aston Martin ‘link together’ towards future success

Cowell revealed more on the elements behind Newey’s day-to-day work schedule at Silverstone, having recently said in the Aston interview that its new facility is “the best” in F1.

I guess we’ve provided the infrastructure to work with Adrian, a drawing board and quickly getting that into the wind tunnel,” he said. “That’s different, but I guess principally what he’s providing is an assessment of how good each of the steps are that we’re using from idea to output from the wind tunnel and that’s both in terms of how strong each area is and that’s accuracy, but also time frame because this is an industry where you want every single learning loop to be as fast as possible.

“However, it needs to be precise so he’s providing us an assessment on both of those.”

Cowell also further articulated what Newey’s presence in the principality this weekend will bring to the team, saying that getting a good understanding of how the team works trackside will dovetail well with his observations back at base.

“I’m really keen that the engineering machine at Silverstone creates a great race car, we bring it to a circuit, we absolutely maximise the performance of the car and strategically pick up every single point and then we feedback what’s missing and we go again.

“As you say Adrian, seeing a big chunk of the factory world, you’ll see the first race of the circuit world and it just helps you link it all together.”

READ MOREAdrian Newey to attend F1 Monaco GP with Aston Martin

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Aston Martin ‘not panicking’ about 2026 F1 prospects despite current struggles https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/13/aston-martin-not-panicking-about-2026-f1-prospects-despite-current-struggles/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/13/aston-martin-not-panicking-about-2026-f1-prospects-despite-current-struggles/#comments Tue, 13 May 2025 13:30:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=208095 Aston Martin is not panicking about the team's woes in 2025

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has contended that the team's ongoing struggles in 2025 have not created internal "panic" about its long-term prospects in F1.

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Aston Martin is not panicking about the team's woes in 2025

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has contended that the team’s ongoing struggles in 2025 have not created internal “panic” about its long-term prospects in Formula 1.

The Silverstone-based squad has endured a punishing beginning to the campaign as it lies seventh in the Constructors’ Championship with 14 points from six rounds.

Those points have all come about on occasions when Lance Stroll has capitalised on circumstances, however, with team-mate Fernando Alonso remaining scoreless.

Aston Martin has been on a continuous decline since a surprise surge in competitiveness once the 2023 season began saw Alonso record six podiums in eight races.

The British marque’s plight came to a head in the Miami Grand Prix as both drivers were eliminated in Q1 prior to ending up a lap down as the final classified finishers.

But Aston Martin has remained committed to investing time in the impending rule change occurring in 2026, a venture which design guru Adrian Newey is overseeing.

And with Aston’s next-generation car to be assembled using a new wind tunnel, Cowell explained how the AMR25’s development can help with correlating those tools.

“The field is exceptionally tight, so the difference from front to back is not so great,” Cowell told media including Motorsport Week.

“However, you always want to be at the front, so we’re not a happy camp.

“Are we pleased with the position that we’re in at the moment? No, we weren’t pleased with the position we were in last year.

“We are investing heavily in next year and in understanding what we’ve got, so we’re not panicking about this year’s car.

“We’re using this year’s car as a platform to learn about how to use the new wind tunnel, how to use simulation tools, how to work together to make sure that information flows, and how to focus on lap time.”

Fernando Alonso has admitted Miami exposed Aston Martin's regression
Aston Martin is utilising race weekends to bolster the team’s 2026 prospects

How Aston Martin is approaching race weekends

Cowell has admitted that Aston Martin has adopted a long-term view to how it has navigated race weekends in 2025 at a cost to the squad’s results in the short term.

He added: “At the moment we’re using every single race as an opportunity to say: ‘Right, how do we gather more data?’

“It’s more about gathering great data rather than picking up points, because we know that if we can get the three worlds to line up then creating cars in the future will be significantly stronger and we are less likely to drop away.”

READ MORE – Fernando Alonso: Miami provided biggest indication of Aston Martin F1 decline

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How Aston Martin is aiming to avoid repeating F1 2024 development ‘chaos’ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/01/how-aston-martin-is-aiming-to-avoid-repeating-f1-2024-development-chaos/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/01/how-aston-martin-is-aiming-to-avoid-repeating-f1-2024-development-chaos/#comments Thu, 01 May 2025 15:45:57 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=206598 Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell wants to avoid the development 'chaos' that plagued the team during the 2024 F1 season

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has explained the thorough measures being implemented to avoid the team slipping into the development “chaos” it endured during the 2024 F1 campaign.

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Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell wants to avoid the development 'chaos' that plagued the team during the 2024 F1 season

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has explained the thorough measures being implemented to avoid the team slipping into the development “chaos” it endured during the 2024 Formula 1 campaign.

2024 saw Aston Martin chopping and changing floors from weekend to weekend in a desperate bid to unlock more performance from an AMR24 machine that was severely limited.

Throughout last year, Aston Martin repeatedly failed to implement upgrades successfully.

After a difficult start to 2025, Cowell revealed to select media, including Motorsport Week in Miami, that upgrades are in the pipeline, but that they must be introduced methodically to avoid a repeat of the issues suffered last season.

“There is work ongoing to bring some updated parts to the track,” the Aston Martin CEO and Team Principal said.

“We are making sure that we’ve got good confidence in those parts before we bring them to the circuit. And we’re also looking carefully at when we bring parts to the circuit, how do we quantify them, that it is better.

“Last year from event to event we were changing floor specs and in-event we were changing floor specs. 

“We don’t want that level of chaos at the circuit. We want a carefully considered introduction plan with some great instrumentation on the car and an engineer allocated to look at it, giving us the thumbs up.

“Making sure that the tool that we’re using is precise enough to give us that thumbs up. Because otherwise we’re just guessing and that’s not a great way to do engineering.”

Andy Cowell is taking a methodical approach to Aston Martin's issues
Andy Cowell is taking a methodical approach to Aston Martin’s issues

Aston Martin conducting analysis after underwhelming F1 effort in Jeddah

Aston Martin failed to score a point across the triple header of Japan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

In Bahrain, its deficiencies could be attributed to the low-speed cornering weakness inherent in the AMR25, but Jeddah should have mitigated those problems.

Instead, neither Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll cracked the top-10, with the latter qualifying in 16th place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and the former fearing no more points will come Aston Martin’s way for the remainder of the campaign.

“Jeddah showed some interesting characteristics,” Cowell said. 

“I think Fernando’s qualifying performance in Jeddah [13th] was impressive.

“He was pushing exceptionally hard. Both drivers are exceptionally strong. 

“I think perhaps that showed that the stability of the car is a little bit better than the year before.

“But at the end of the day, it’s out-and-out performance that matters. 

“Jeddah, interesting corner analysis that we’ve been digging into over the last 10 days and looking at aero characteristics and vehicle dynamic characteristics, which will help us going forward,” he concluded.

It’s up to Aston Martin to get on top of its current machine without interfering too much with its 2026 project, which has and will remain the pure focus of Managing Technical Partner Adrian Newey.

In the interim, Cowell confirmed that Newey “will attend the odd race this year” and no doubt he’ll be able to offer some input to help Aston Martin dig itself out of the hole it finds itself in.

READ MORE – Aston Martin reveals immediate impact of new state-of-the-art F1 wind tunnel

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Aston Martin reveals immediate impact of new state-of-the-art F1 wind tunnel https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/04/29/aston-martin-reveals-immediate-impact-of-new-state-of-the-art-f1-wind-tunnel/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/04/29/aston-martin-reveals-immediate-impact-of-new-state-of-the-art-f1-wind-tunnel/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2025 09:25:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=206394 Aston Martin is already reaping rewards from its new F1 wind tunnel - Images courtesy of Aston Martin

Aston Martin chief Andy Cowell has claimed the team’s new F1 wind tunnel has “opened our eyes” when it comes to aerodynamic development.

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Aston Martin is already reaping rewards from its new F1 wind tunnel - Images courtesy of Aston Martin

Aston Martin chief Andy Cowell has claimed the team’s new Formula 1 wind tunnel has “opened our eyes” when it comes to aerodynamic development.

The wind tunnel at the revamped Silverstone base, Aston Martin has called home since its founding days under the guise of Jordan Grand Prix, is the class-leading aerodynamic tool in F1.

This is just one of several elements Lawrence Stroll has financed to transform Aston Martin into a championship-calibre team and Cowell revealed to the media, including Motorsport Week, that the wind tunnel came online from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix weekend.

As it stands, Aston is splitting aero testing in the new wind tunnel between the beleaguered AMR25 and the 2026 machine being developed under the expert eye of Adrian Newey.

“There’s hardware coming through that we’ll see at the circuit in the coming races,” Cowell relayed in Jeddah, teasing upgrades to come as a result of testing in the team’s new wind tunnel.

The Aston Martin CEO and Team Principal went on to explain how the team is coping with transitioning from the Mercedes wind tunnel in Brackley to its new facility, and the benefits already being yielded as a result.

“People often talk about how to tell the time when you’ve got two watches – how do you tell the aero load when development work has been done in one wind tunnel and then you swap across to the next? They’ll never tell you exactly the same,” Cowell added. 

“But we are enjoying the new wind tunnel. It’s opened our eyes to a few characteristics.”

Andy Cowell revealed Aston Martin is working on yielding on-track results from the new wind tunnel
Andy Cowell revealed Aston Martin is working on yielding on-track results from the new wind tunnel

The task Aston Martin must succeed in with new wind tunnel

Now the task for Aston Martin is to utilise its wind tunnel to generate better results on track, something that has proved hard to come by over the last 18 months. 

“You’ve got to do the work,” Cowell said. 

“If you’ve got a new test facility that gives you a clearer view, a more representative view, you’ve got to then do aero development work – you’ve go to change shapes, make parts, understand, and then make full-size components to bring to the circuit and measure in this complex environment. 

“We’re in that process, enjoying the new tool, and look forward to making a faster race car with it.”

As it stands, Aston Martin has scored 10 points across the first five races, with veteran driver Fernando Alonso fearing more will be hard to come by as the year progresses.

Cowell admits the team is “not happy with the performance of the car” and “there are many areas where, if we could go back to the start of the year with the same car, we could do better at every event. 

“That gives us hope,” Cowell exclaimed. 

“There are relatively easy things we can do to move forward, but some exceptionally complicated things we’ve got to master as well.”

But Aston Martin’s mission isn’t to succeed in 2025, but to put everything in place to be a strong contender amid the regulations revamp for the next year.

That journey began in 2021 when Racing Point went from bright pink to the British Racing Green of an iconic marque, and will continue next year under the leadership of Cowell and Newey, with the benefit of the wind tunnel, a Honda works engine deal and potent fuel partnership with Aramco.

On that note, Cowell said: “We’re a relatively young team trying to dial in new tools and trying to understand it and not just trying to survive but to really succeed.”

READ MORE – Aston Martin reveals Adrian Newey’s extreme focus on F1 2026

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