Andy Cowell set out a clear picture for Aston Martin. He placed himself in the middle of a calm, disciplined push. Adrian Newey laid down the car’s spine and chased fine gains, pencil to screen, day to day. Enrico Cardile tuned the surrounding operation, grew people, and kept ideas moving on time. Cowell said the blend already worked—steady, sharp, aligned. He brushed off the Christian Horner swirl, wished him well, and made plain there was no gap to fill.
Newey builds the car; Cardile builds the machine — a complementary, well-oiled partnership
Cowell framed the division of the Aston Martin team in straightforward terms. Newey handled the car’s foundations—interpreted the rulebook, set the concept, and locked down the elements teams avoided changing mid-season. He operated in the details that decided lap time, moving between sketches and CAD to refine aero, hardware, and suspension.
“Adrian’s [Newey] very much into the detailed design, right from the beginning of March into regulation, understanding the concepts that have been created and then moving that on, and focused heavily on the core architecture of the car. So the aspects of the car that you probably don’t want to change through a racing season. So that’s been his focus initially. And he’s heavily involved in detail error work, detail mechanical work, suspension work, and you’ll see him both at his drawing board and at engineers’ CAD screens.”
By contrast, Cardile managed the system around the car. He shaped structure, developed staff, and streamlined how ideas moved through the factory, so the right specialists arrived on cue. With adjacent offices and regular lunches, the pair worked in sync. Cowell viewed the dynamic as complementary and effective.
“Enrico [Cardile] , looking at the organisation, looking at the growth and development of people and how it all fits together, and how our innovation machine works, but also how the teamwork is optimised so that everybody’s playing their role at the right time. But they’ve got offices next door to each other. The majority of the time they’re having lunch together, and I think there’s a really good relationship between them. I think they both understand their strengths and it looks very positive to me.”
Horner chatter brushed aside — Newey-led unit stays inward-focused, momentum over headlines
Cowell batted away the Horner chatter. He noted Horner stepped back from the sport and likely spent time with family, and he wished him well for whatever came next. On the Aston Martin side, Cowell stressed there was no gap to fill. The team already ran strong, with Newey steering the technical group. The message was clear: focus stayed in-house, momentum built, and recruitment headlines could wait.
“I think Christian’s [Horner] taking some time out, isn’t he, at the moment. He’s probably enjoying time with friends and family. He loves the sport though and I’m wishing him well with whatever he ends up doing in the future.”
“We have got a strong team. We’ve got a strong team with Adrian [Newey] at the helm of the technical organisation. And we’re growing and building.”
Horner’s future is his to decide — Aston’s Newey–Cardile machine gathers pace, plan intact with or without him
Cowell sidestepped the Horner rumour mill and kept the spotlight on the Aston Martin garage. He noted that Horner would decide his next move, whether inside the paddock or beyond it, and wished him well. He stopped short of ruling anything out, but the subtext was plain: the door, if there was one, stayed in Horner’s hands.
“I think Christian’s [Horner] record speaks for itself. He’s a great competitor. I guess it’s down to Christian [Horner] to work out what he wants to do. He might want to walk away from the sport. He might want to do something else in the sport. But that’s down to Christian [Horner], isn’t it?”
On Aston Martin, Cowell stressed momentum. The operation ran with Newey at the technical helm and Cardile shaping the broader structure. Aero work flowed under Vino, with Hart working hour-by-hour alongside Newey and Wood among the supporting cast. Backed by Lawrence Stroll’s direction and growing commercial firepower, Cowell argued the team already looked robust—and he repeated that the plan marched on with or without outside additions.
“I think we’ve got a strong setup and we’re marching forward with that. We’re a relatively young team. We’ve got great facilities. We’re developing the tools. We’ve taken on strong people like Adrian [Newey] and Enrico [Cardile]. Jack Vino on the aero side.”
“But there are also people internally. There’s a guy called Michael Hart that works hour by hour with Adrian [Newey] on aero development. Giles Wood and so on. And with Lawrence’s [Stroll] vision and with the sponsorship revenues that are coming in driven by Jack, I think we’ve got a pretty strong team.”
“I think I’ll refer back to what I said. We’ve got a plan and we’re marching forward. I guess Christian [Horner] needs to work out where he wants to play a part in the future. Who knows what will happen.”
