Christian Horner ‘received secret Aston Martin factory tour’ as new team principal named | F1 | Sport

Christian Horner reportedly received a secret Aston Martin factory tour from former Red Bull colleague Adrian Newey earlier this week, one day before the legendary aerodynamicist was confirmed as the organisation’s new team principal.

Following a disappointing result at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, reports emerged that Andy Cowell was set to be sacked from his position as team principal. This was confirmed on Wednesday, with the 56-year-old Brit moving into the position of chief strategy officer, contributing to the “partnership between the team, Honda, Aramco and Valvoline”.

At the same time, Aston Martin confirmed that Newey would take on the team principal role for the first time in his decorated F1 career. The aerodynamics guru will spearhead the trackside operations and the technical team back at base in Silverstone.

According to a report from BBC Sport, though, Newey gave a tour of the Silverstone factory to former Red Bull team-mate Christian Horner on Tuesday night. However, the 52-year-old, who was sacked from the Milton Keynes squad back in July, is not under consideration for a role with Aston Martin.

Looking at his new position, Newey said: “Over the last nine months, I have seen great individual talent within our team. I’m looking forward to taking on this additional role as we put ourselves in the best possible position to compete in 2026, where we will face an entirely new position with Aston Martin now a works team, combined with the considerable challenge faced by the new regulations.

“Andy’s new role, focusing on the integration of the new PU with our three key partners, will be pivotal in this journey.” Addressing the appointment, team owner Lawrence Stroll added: “I’m also pleased that Adrian Newey will step into the team principal role, which will enable him to make full use of his creative and technical expertise. Both these changes will ensure the team is best placed to play to their collective strengths.”

Horner, meanwhile, continues in his attempts to return to the F1 grid. It has been widely publicised that the former Red Bull boss desires a new challenge, but only with the added bonus of having skin in the game through an ownership stake.

The Brit has been linked with a raft of different teams, including Haas, Ferrari and the new Cadillac squad, although his strongest links have been with the Alpine team, given his strong relationship with boss Flavio Briatore.