Ralf Schumacher, a former F1 driver and Sky Deutschland pundit who knows Newey personally, said on March 11 that the 67-year-old is ill-suited for the public-facing demands of leading an F1 team.
“Someone will come soon. I’m pretty sure of that, because that’s simply not his nature,” Schumacher said. “He prefers to stay in the background. He wants to do his own thing. He always walks past everyone in the paddock, even when he’s successful.”
Schumacher described Newey as a “placeholder” for a personnel change that is coming, adding: “I believe the original wish was different, but it has now remained where it is. And soon, some landscaping will be taking place.”
Newey was elevated to team principal on Nov. 26, 2025, replacing Andy Cowell, who moved to a chief strategy officer role. Lawrence Stroll described the restructure as a “mutual decision” to play to the team’s collective strengths. Schumacher described Cowell’s move as a “discreet exit” following poor results in 2025.
A difficult start to 2026
Schumacher’s assessment arrives during a nightmare opening to Aston Martin’s 2026 campaign. The AMR26 has been one of the slowest cars on the grid, has thrown up numerous problems and relations between Newey and engine partner Honda have deteriorated publicly.
During the Australian Grand Prix weekend, Newey claimed that excessive vibrations from the Honda power unit were so severe that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll risked “permanent nerve damage” to their hands. He said Alonso felt he could not exceed 25 consecutive laps before reaching that threshold, while Stroll put his limit at 15.
Honda Racing President Koji Watanabe said Honda possessed no data to support the claim and questioned why Newey had spoken on the drivers’ behalf rather than the drivers themselves.
The dispute reportedly prompted Honda Motor Co. President Toshihiro Mibe to meet with Stroll in Melbourne to discuss the partnership’s direction.
The car’s struggles predate Melbourne. During pre-season testing in Bahrain, Aston Martin completed just 334 laps, the fewest of any team on the grid. Cadillac, for example, in their debut season, managed 586.
Schumacher has said the broader Aston Martin-Newey project has “backfired”, adding that “the mood is anything but good” within the team.
The immediate question is whether Aston Martin moves to install a dedicated team principal and returns Newey to the design-focused position where he built his reputation.
