Adrian Newey 'provoking' Aston Martin in its bid to get to the top of F1

Andy Cowell believes that Adrian Newey is setting new standards within the Aston Martin organization. Speaking on the Autosport podcast, the Silverstone-based team’s principal explained that the legendary British designer is challenging team personnel to operate at a more competitive level, in a bid to overcome their recent performance struggles.

Since Newey’s arrival, Aston Martin has begun their transformation from a midfield team to potential front-runners. While his primary focus is on the 2026 car, their 2025 challenger is currently falling short of expectations.

Cowell emphasized that Newey has played a key role in elevating the team’s internal standards. He noted that Newey’s influence has pushed the workforce to drive progress in a matter of months rather than years.

Speaking on Autosport’s F1 podcast, the Aston Martin team principal said:

“Everything that we're doing can improve and needs to improve. Adrian thinks the same. The great thing with Adrian is he knows the level that we need to get to. So he's setting high standards. I'm setting tough standards within the organisation. And then it's about how quickly can we get there. Is it going to take us two years to get there? No, it's not. Is Adrian provoking people? Yes, he is. As is Lawrence [Stroll] and Fernando [Alonso] and Lance [Stroll] and myself and many other people within the organisation.”

He added:

“We are all setting high standards to achieve. And the competitive advantage comes from how quickly you achieve it. So Adrian's provoking us. He's saying it's going to take everybody two years to achieve that. And everybody in the factory that I've spoken to that's working around the design team is going, ‘Well, we'll show him! We'll turn it into months rather than years’.”

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Andy Cowell recollects working with Adrian Newey before Aston Martin

Andy Cowell believes working with Adrian Newey in the past makes working with him now at Aston Martin easier. The duo last worked together in 2004 during their stint with McLaren. He believes the F1’s legendary aerodynamic wizard knows the business's strengths and weaknesses, which makes it easier to have a rapport with him and communicate with him.

Recollecting the last time he worked with Newey at McLaren, the Aston Martin team principal said:

“I worked together with Adrian, but that's a long time ago now. The last two months we've been working together, and it's very enjoyable. Adrian isn't interested in people management, business organisation, or the way of stitching everything together so that we're all focused on the race car. Adrian is focused on the design of the race car, the architecture, and the detailed considerations. He's been in the industry a long time, as have I, and we know our strengths and our weaknesses. I think a strength that we've both got is that we can just talk openly to each other.”

Aston Martin are currently ninth in the Constructors’ Championship with just 16 points, a sharp contrast to their fifth-place finish in the 2024 season. The team is also far from replicating its 2023 form when Fernando Alonso secured eight podiums. While they work against the clock to return to the front of the midfield, their broader ambition remains to re-establish themselves as a front-running team.