David Coulthard sharply criticized Aston Martin’s decision to elevate Adrian Newey to team principal, calling the move a public relations “own goal” on the Up to Speed podcast. Coulthard, who worked with Newey at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, said he would not have pictured Newey in that leadership role and described Newey as a technically driven problem solver better suited to design work than the political and media-facing demands of a team principal. Coulthard added that Newey, now in his 60s, was unlikely to pursue those skills and questioned Lawrence Stroll’s public presentation of Newey as a partner and shareholder, saying the messaging raised doubts about whether the promotion would work.

Aston Martin promoted Newey after he designed the AMR26, but the team’s 2026 campaign has been hampered by Honda’s difficult return and severe engine vibrations that disrupted drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. The move made Newey Aston Martin’s fourth different team principal in five years and formed part of wider leadership changes that included Andy Cowell’s move to chief strategy officer.

Newey is widely regarded as one of Formula 1’s greatest designers, with work that contributed to 14 drivers’ and 12 constructors’ titles and to Red Bull’s 2024 success. Coulthard questioned whether technical excellence alone would be sufficient to steer a team facing reliability and political challenges.