Andy Cowell has been named as Aston Martin’s new Formula One team principal and CEO as part of a senior management reshuffle, taking over from Mike Krack.
Cowell, who previously oversaw Mercedes’ engine division through its domination of F1 in the 2010s, joined Aston Martin as its group CEO in October, and was tasked with reviewing operations at the Silverstone-based team.
Cowell will now move into the role of CEO and team principal of the F1 team as part of a reshuffle that Aston Martin said in a statement is “for clarity of leadership and as part of a shift to a flatter structure.” Cowell called the changes a “natural evolution of the multi-year plans that we have scheduled to make.”
Krack, who had been team principal since joining Aston Martin in 2022, will take up a new role of chief trackside officer, and will “continue to focus on getting the most performance out of the car at the racetrack.”
Why Aston Martin are making a change
The change comes off the back of a disappointing 2024 season for Aston Martin. After being a regular podium finisher with Fernando Alonso in the early part of 2023 and posing a threat to Red Bull on-track, the team failed to finish a race any higher than fifth last year. It ended the year fifth in the constructors’ standings, 374 points behind Mercedes in fourth.
“We were hoping for more, especially at the beginning of the year,” Alonso said in Abu Dhabi last month. “We started strong and there were a couple of upgrades coming to the car that (meant) we were dreaming to finish high on the season, maybe fighting for podiums or something.
“We didn’t achieve that, that’s the reality. So we were expecting a little bit more. But this is what it is, and hopefully next year we can achieve that.”
Dan Fallows, Aston Martin’s technical director, stepped down in November ahead of taking up another role within the wider Aston Martin group, foreshadowing further changes to the technical structure that were announced on Friday.
Enrico Cardile, who will join Aston Martin from Ferrari this year, will serve as chief technical officer once he begins his role — a start date is still to be confirmed — while performance director Tom McCullough will no longer be involved in the F1 project, instead focusing on the expansion of Aston Martin’s other racing activities.
Aston Martin’s prospects are set to be boosted by the arrival of Adrian Newey, the most successful car designer in F1 history, in March after securing his signature following his decision to leave Red Bull. Newey will become managing technical partner, as well as taking a shareholding in the company.
Aston Martin’s billionaire owner, Lawrence Stroll, has been clear in his ambitions to turn the team into one capable of fighting for world championships ever since its rebrand from Racing Point to Aston Martin ahead of the 2021 season.
Besides the marquee signings of two-time world champion Alonso and Newey, Aston Martin has also opened a $250 million state-of-the-art F1 factory at Silverstone, and will become Honda’s works engine team in 2026.
In September, Alonso said that 2026 was “in our heads for everyone at Aston” and that the “future looks bright, but (for) 2025 we need to shake things a little bit.
“It’s not good enough what we’re doing right now, and in 2025 we need to change the pace.”
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