By Luke Barras
Aston Martin has been at the centre of speculation with Motorsport reporting that Adrian Newey, who had left Red Bull Racing to join the side as Team Principal, had stepped down from his position after just two races in the role.
The engineer had replaced Andy Cowell who moved to the role of Chief Strategy Officer at the team.
Newey had been with Red Bull Racing for 18 years before leaving, with the 67-year-old guiding the side through Championship winning spells.
The Englishman had also been in Formula One prior to joining Red Bull in 2006 with spells at McLaren, Williams, Leyton House, March, Haas Lola, and Fittipaldi all coming prior to 2006.
Now, Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has broken his silence on the reported news of Newey’s departure.
Posting on the team’s official website, Stroll stated: “With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
“As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.
“We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere – it is by design.
“As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled Senior Leadership Team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the Campus and trackside.
“We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on rumour and speculation.”
With Stroll now having his say, it appears that the team are steering clear of any confirmation or dismissal of the rumours which have been circulating in the media.
However, with Jonathan Wheatley departing Audi Formula One Team, rumours and links may continue to be made as the sport approaches the Japanese Grand Prix taking place in just over a week.
Aston Martin have had a large period of change with a switch to Honda engines, alongside changes in key roles, and the departure of Newey would be another impactful change.
Whilst the team continues to retain its two main drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, more key changes in leadership roles may impact both the team and drivers as they strive for success in the remainder of the season.
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