Lawrence Stroll has stated the Aston Martin Formula 1 team will not hire Christian Horner in any capacity, sources have told Autosport at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The future of Horner has long been a topic of discussion in the F1 paddock, while the former Red Bull team principal has repeatedly been linked to Aston Martin, despite Andy Cowell stating in Singapore that such a move was not in the pipeline.
The rumours flared up again after Aston Martin announced on Wednesday that Adrian Newey will take on the role of team principal for the 2026 season. But questions continued amid focus on whether Newey would really be willing to take on all the responsibilities of an F1 team boss – including all meetings, sponsorship requirements, the F1 Commission, and media duties.
It triggered a new wave of speculation linking Aston Martin and Horner, with suggestions that the latter could take on those aspects in a more senior role. However, Autosport has learned in Qatar that this is not the case.
Sources have indicated team owner Stroll explicitly told Aston Martin staff that Horner won’t join the team when he addressed the factory on Wednesday to announce Newey’s promotion. The message was intended to put an end to all speculation surrounding Horner and to underline that Aston Martin will not bring the former Red Bull boss in for any role.
However, it does not mean that the responsibilities of the team principal will not be divided in practice. Given Newey’s focus on designing the 2026 car and the technical department, it remains likely that some tasks will be delegated within the senior management.
Adrian Newey, Managing Technical Partner of Aston Martin F1 walks in the Paddock
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Mike Krack could take on a larger role and it is worth noting that the Luxembourger already handles certain media obligations.
The name of former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl is also still circulating.
Newey himself has said that the promotion to the team principal role felt like a natural step.
“Since I’m going to be doing all the early races anyway, it doesn’t actually particularly change my workload because I’m there anyway. So I may as well pick up that bit other than, of course, having to talk to you,” Newey told Sky Sports F1.
The new role should not come at the expense of his design work, but the 66-year-old says he is not too worried about that: “That’s really what I want to and need to do [to keep laser focus on the car design]. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. So I’m determined not to dilute that.”
It is no secret that Horner, for his part, is still exploring ways to return to F1. Ideally, he wants a more senior position than team principal, and, in an ideal scenario, equity would be part of the package. All these aspects, Stroll has made clear, will not happen at Aston Martin.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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