Former Formula 1 race winner David Coulthard has labelled the appointment of Adrian Newey to the role of Aston Martin Team Principal as an “own goal.”
The promotion of Adrian Newey to Team Principal at Aston Martin was met with intrigue by the paddock, given his role in designing the AMR26.
But 2026 has proven to be nothing short of a disaster, as Honda’s return to F1 with the team has been fraught with reliability woes.
Newey has not shied away from facing into the problems facing the team, with extreme vibrations from the engine still causing drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll significant problems.
Coulthard, who worked with Newey across his career revealed his blunt assessment of Newey in a leadership position.
“I, having spent most of my career working with Adrian, would never have seen him as a team principal,” said Coulthard to the Up to Speed podcast.
“He is technically driven, he’s a racer, he is a problem solver from a technical point of view.
“The politics of Formula 1, which is what the team principal has to deal with a lot, and the politics which are sometimes created with the media as well, is not at all; and especially at Adrian’s stage of life in his 60s. You’ll find as you go through the decades, there are certain things that you’re prepared to do that you’re not prepared to do as you get a bit older, because you’ve got less runway ahead than behind.”
David Coulthard question Lawrence Stroll statement
Coulthard also questioned the logic of Lawrence Stroll’s statement, believing it has made his appointment look like an “own goal”.
“That is a long term play, so I’m curious beyond the statement that we got from Lawrence Stroll that was reaffirming that Adrian is a partner in the team, ” he said.
“He’s got a shareholding and they’re going forward together with the original plan, I think it’s just a readdressing of what was a short-term, and actually, what has turned out to be a bit of a PR own goal, because it created a scenario of questioning from the majority of people who were questioning, ‘does that really work?’.
“Now, it’s kind of like, as we thought, it was never going to work.”
Coulthard is well placed to comment on the strengths of Newey, given his previous working relationships. His comments while blunt still highlight his strengths, given his immense success in the sport.
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