Marko reveals Newey ‘not doing well’ at Aston Martin

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Former Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko claims that Adrian Newey is “not doing well” at Aston Martin amid the team’s current predicament.

Newey, a legend of F1 design, took on Aston Martin’s first team principal role last year, stepping up from his initial position as managing technical partner. But the dream has quickly soured.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have yet to finish a full race distance, with their AMR26 plagued by severe vibrations from Honda’s new power unit and falling far behind the midfield.

“I had contact with him. He is not doing well. With this project, there are problems that will not be solved so quickly,” Marko told OE24, offering a stark glimpse into the internal turmoil.

Newey is expected to relinquish his team boss duties in order to refocus purely on engineering and technical development.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll has reportedly approached Jonathan Wheatley –Newey’s former Red Bull colleague of 18 years – to assume the team principal role.

All signs point to the move happening but Wheatley, who has left Audi, will need to serve a period of gardening leave before stepping into the role.

Red Bull’s silver lining

Marko also addressed the turbulence at Red Bull Racing, his old stomping ground, where the team’s 2026 RB22 has struggled with reliability and drivability issues. Max Verstappen retired from the Chinese Grand Prix and sits eighth in the standings after a rocky start.

Yet the 82-year-old Austrian remains confident:

"Red Bull is known for being able to catch up quickly and effectively. So, anything is still possible,” the Austrian said. "The good thing is that the two April races have been cancelled, which gives them even more time.”

For Red Bull, the pause in the calendar may be just the buffer they need to turn adversity into triumph.

But for Aston Martin, the road ahead is unclear, with Newey, the man hailed as the sport’s ultimate technical savant caught in its storm.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.