IMMEDIATE ANDY COWELL IMPACT MADE AHEAD OF ADRIAN NEWEY ARRIVAL

New Aston Martin team boss Andy Cowell joined in July last year but already his impact has been felt with Fernando Alonso revealing he fixed some of the “weaknesses” within the team.

Cowell joined Aston Martin last year as Group CEO, one of several key signings that include long-time Red Bull design legend Adrian Newey and former Ferrari chassis technical director Enrico Cardile.

Aston Martin moving in the ‘right direction’

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Cowell took up the role of Group CEO before also being named as the new team principal ahead of the F1 2025 season as part of a restructuring of Aston Martin’s leadership team.

He replaced Mike Krack, who has moved into the role of chief trackside officer.

The changes were made in the wake of a trying 2024 season with the AMR24 proving less competitive than its predecessor, leaving the team without a single podium having bagged eight the previous year.

Although Aston Martin retained fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, the team scored 94 points compared to 2023’s 280.

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Alonso though, is confident the team is moving forward under Cowell’s leadership.

“I think the new factory is now completed,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “Also the new wind tunnel is going to be open soon.

“Andy Cowell, I think did change already some of the weaknesses that he found in the team. So, you know, we have trust in the new management. I think things are moving in the right direction. So happy for that.”

The double World Champion urged Aston Martin to learn lessons from his former team McLaren, who last year won the development war and in doing so claimed race wins on their way to the Constructors’ Championship title.

“But in Formula 1, there are not many miracles,” he continued. “You need to find that sweet spot in the car. You need to find that upgrade that really awakes everything in these ground-effect cars.

“As McLaren proved, started last and then won races in the mid-season. And we need to learn from them. This is a good example of how things can be done, and we will try to reset this winter and come back stronger.”

He added: “I think we can reset. We can learn from all the difficulties and the mistakes of this year and apply those learnings into next year’s project.

“The next few months are obviously very interesting with Enrico Cardile joining the team, Adrian Newey in March. And, yeah, 2026 new rules, Honda coming to the team. So exciting times. Happy to be in the team on this transition and this exciting project. And I’m enjoying the process of it.”

Design legend Newey, whose cars have won 26 titles in total, officially joins Aston Martin on March 2.

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2025-01-14T10:05:34Z