Adrian Newey’s unique approach shows stark difference from Christian Horner’s Red Bull tenure
· Yahoo Sports
Adrian Newey hasn’t turned up at the Chinese Grand Prix, and Aston Martin’s tough start to 2026 isn’t getting any easier.
This time, both cars at least made it out for Sprint qualifying, unlike in Melbourne. But Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ended up 19th and 20th.
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Only Valtteri Bottas was behind them, with his Cadillac teammate Sergio Perez missing the session entirely. Alonso was a second off the SQ2 cut-off and 2.5 seconds back from George Russell’s best time.
Adrian Newey misses the Chinese Grand Prix as Aston Martin’s struggles continue
Adrian Newey is absent from the Chinese Grand Prix, with The Times reporting he’s working remotely from back home, following his pre-season plan.
Once again, his absence highlights his unique way of working. Most F1 team bosses are fixtures in the paddock. It’s a contrast to how others operate, Christian Horner never missed a race during his two decades at Red Bull.
Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s trackside engineering director, has stepped in as the main voice for the team. He already handled media duties back in Australia, while Newey tends to keep a lower profile.
Towards the end of his time at Red Bull, Newey was already cutting back on race appearances. Aston Martin are relying on Honda to help turn things around this season, but he’ll still be involved in refining their chassis design throughout the year.
Newey skips China after ‘decisive’ vote vs Cowell at Aston Martin
The Times reported earlier this week that Newey had voted against Cowell’s promotion to team principal during an internal power struggle last year.
A source explained: “There was a decisive meeting between a few influential people at Aston Martin over whether to keep Cowell or not. It led to Cowell leaving his position.”
If there are more poor results then Aston may look elsewhere, and Christian Horner continues to be linked with a role at the club.
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