Former McLaren boss in the running to replace Adrian Newey as the team boss at Aston Martin

Former McLaren F1 team boss Andreas Seidl is reportedly in contention to replace Adrian Newey as Aston Martin team principal. It is believed that Newey himself is leading the search to find a new team boss at Silverstone after he replaced Andy Cowell in this role in 2026.

Adrian Newey arrived at Aston Martin in 2025 with the view of leading the design of the AMR26 in his role as Managing Technical Partner. But it was later announced that he would also take over the role of team principal, replacing Andy Cowell, from January 2026.

With the 2026 season having now commenced, things have not gone exactly to plan for the Silverstone-based outfit, facing numerous issues with its new Honda power unit. Amid all this, there have also been multiple questions raised about Newey and whether he can perform both his roles as team boss and technical director at the same time.

Now, PlanetF1 has claimed that Aston Martin was looking for a new team principal, with former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl in the running for the role. It is believed that Newey himself is leading the search to bring in someone to run the outfit alongside him.

Other names noted to have been approached for the role by the aforementioned outlet include Audi F1 COO Mattia Binotto and team principal Jonathan Wheatley. Another former McLaren boss, Martin Whitmarsh, is also seemingly under consideration. He was previously the Group CEO of the Aston Martin F1 outfit.

The report also claimed that the door remains open for former Red Bull boss Christian Horner. But Spanish journalist Antonio Lobato recently claimed that the Briton was not in the running.

While the name may not yet be known, it seems that Aston Martin’s hunt for a new team boss is ongoing, and that Adrian Newey is in fact seen as an interim solution, even by the man himself.

Aston Martin clarifies why Adrian Newey was not at the Chinese GP

Aston Martin Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack has clarified that Adrian Newey was never scheduled to attend the Chinese GP after questions were raised over his absence from the pit wall in Shanghai. It was reported that Newey headed straight to the team’s Silverstone facility after the season-opening Australian GP.

Speaking to the media in China, Krack, who was also formerly the team principal, revealed that Newey’s absence was always part of the plan.

“There is a plan in place about where he’s supposed to come and where he does not, so we have not changed that. I would have to go through the plan, but it was always clear that Adrian was not going to do all the races,” said Krack.

The weekend in China saw Aston Martin complete the 19-lap sprint race with both cars, in a positive development for the team and Honda. But the main race saw Lance Stroll retire after just nine laps due to technical issues, and Fernando Alonso had to retire after reporting numbness in his hands and feet from the vibrations in the AMR26.