Ex-Mercedes F1 power unit boss named Aston Martin F1 team principal

After snagging Red Bull Racing star aerodynamicist Adrian Newey late last year, the Aston Martin Formula 1 team has now made another major hire.

The team on Jan. 10 announced that Andy Cowell will take over this season as team principal from Mike Krack, who has held the position since 2022. Krack will remain with the team, serving as its chief trackside officer.

Cowell is best known for his time spent at Mercedes-Benz AMG High Performance Powertrains, the U.K.-based division responsible for the Mercedes F1 team's power units.

Cowell left the division in 2020 after a 16-year stint, during which he was promoted to the managing director role. During that time, Mercedes secured both the F1 Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Andy Cowell

Cowell joins Aston Martin at a time of major renewal. The team had aimed to build on their encouraging 2023 season, which featured eight podium finishes and a climb to fifth place in the Constructors' standings, thanks largely to star driver Fernando Alonso. However, while the team maintained that position in 2024, it failed to secure any podiums and scored just 94 points compared to the previous year's 280.

This year, Newey will begin designing the team's 2026 car, which will run a power unit developed in partnership with Honda. Currently Aston Martin sources power units from Mercedes. The team's Aerodynamics, Engineering, and Performance Departments will also be split between dedicated trackside teams and teams based at Aston Martin's F1 headquarters near the Silverstone Circuit. The move will allow the team at the F1 headquarters, officially the AMR Technology Campus, to fully focus on designing and building new race cars.

“With the completion of the AMR Technology Campus and our transition in 2026 to a full works team, alongside our strategic partners Honda and Aramco, we are on a journey to becoming a championship-winning team,” Cowell said in a statement.

The 2025 F1 season gets underway on March 16 with the Australian Grand Prix.