{"id":38018,"date":"2025-11-26T10:06:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T15:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=38018"},"modified":"2025-11-26T10:06:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T15:06:02","slug":"andreas-seidl-early-favourite-to-become-next-aston-martin-team-principal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/11\/26\/andreas-seidl-early-favourite-to-become-next-aston-martin-team-principal\/","title":{"rendered":"Andreas Seidl early favourite to become next Aston Martin team principal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the background of a dramatic post-race disqualification for the McLaren&#8217;s in Las Vegas, another surprise story was beginning to spread across the paddock.<\/p>\n<p>A report from <a href=\"https:\/\/racingnews365.com\/aston-martin-set-to-sack-f1-team-principal-and-ceo\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">racingnews365<\/a>, revealed that Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell is at risk of being replaced. Since then, multiple outlets have confirmed the former Mercedes engineer&#8217;s days at the helm of Aston Martin could be numbered.<\/p>\n<p>Several candidates, such as Christian Horner and Audi&#8217;s Mattia Binotto, have been mentioned. However, it is understood that former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl is the initial favourite to become Aston&#8217;s next team boss.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_38021\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38021\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-38021 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2238552834-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2238552834-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2238552834-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2238552834-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2238552834-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2238552834-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2238552834-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2238552834-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-38021\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andy Cowell, Team Principal and Group CEO at Aston Martin F1 Team. (Photo by Zak Mauger\/LAT Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Cowell set to assume new role in Aston Martin shake-up<\/h2>\n<p>During his time as owner of Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll has demonstrated a clear drive to create a Championship-winning team. Signing <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/04\/26\/aston-martin-cowell-praises-alonso-and-stroll-line-up\/\" target=\"_self\">Andy Cowell<\/a> from Mercedes was one of many examples that outlined Stroll&#8217;s vision for his squad.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/07\/12\/adrian-newey-anticipates-range-of-aero-solutions-in-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">Adrian Newey<\/a> and Enrico Cardile, the acquisition of Cowell was seen as part of the formation of an elite leadership team at Aston Martin.<\/p>\n<p>Cowell&#8217;s time as Managing Director of Mercedes Powertrains speaks for itself, with Toto Wolff&#8217;s team dominating &#8211; largely thanks to its power unit &#8211; with Cowell at the forefront overseeing development.<\/p>\n<p>This experience also made the 56-year-old perfectly suited to oversee Aston&#8217;s transition to a Honda engines. The former <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/11\/26\/toto-wolff-pleased-with-kimi-antonelli-progress-according-to-plan\/\" target=\"_self\">Mercedes<\/a> man has given positive feedback about his observations from the Honda factory in Sakura.<\/p>\n<p>Because of this, it came as a surprise to most observers when reports first circulated about Cowell&#8217;s position being at jeopardy. Crucially, though, it must be outlined that he is not expected to leave the team entirely.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, as reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-race.com\/formula-1\/our-verdict-on-aston-martin-shock-christian-horner-move\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Race<\/a>, it is understood Cowell will take a new position more centred around <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/11\/10\/f1-2026-honda-engine-emerging-as-biggest-threat-to-mercedes\/\" target=\"_self\">Honda&#8217;s engine development<\/a>. In essence, this means the 56-year-old will return to his area of specialty ahead of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Despite simultaneously taking the roles of team principal and CEO, the British engineer&#8217;s influence in decision-making was always going to be secondary to Adrian Newey &#8211; whose position as Managing Technical Partner ultimately gives him complete control over Aston&#8217;s direction.<\/p>\n<p>With reports of disagreement between Newey and Cowell, the latter&#8217;s move to a new position becomes easier to digest.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_38020\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38020\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-38020 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2222779525-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2222779525-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2222779525-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2222779525-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2222779525-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2222779525-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2222779525-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/2222779525-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-38020\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andy Cowell, Team Principal and Group CEO at Aston Martin F1 Team. (Photo by Zak Mauger\/LAT Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Seidl the favourite to take Cowell&#8217;s place<\/h4>\n<p>As mentioned previously, the ambitious Aston Martin project has seen many big names join the team&#8217;s ranks. One of the risks of acquiring so many senior personnel was that integrating everyone would be challenging.<\/p>\n<p>This makes Cowell&#8217;s anticipated reallocation all the more relevant, as it speaks to the bigger picture at Aston.<\/p>\n<p>To be clear, this news is no reason to question the team&#8217;s 2026 progress. It does, however, suggest that a lower rate of turnover is necessary moving forward to ensure more continuity.<\/p>\n<p>With this in mind, Christian Horner does not particularly meet Aston&#8217;s needs. Although Horner&#8217;s relationship with Newey is understood to have improved since Newey&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/11\/07\/red-bulls-balance-of-power-shifts-from-helmut-marko-to-laurent-mekies\/\" target=\"_self\">Red Bull<\/a> exit, this does not mean his arrival to the Silverstone team is inevitable.<\/p>\n<p>The former Red Bull team principal is known to be targeting an F1 return with a group of investors, meaning he is searching for a role that goes beyond that of team principal.<\/p>\n<p>For a team that has hired so many senior figures in the last eighteen months, this seems a poor fit. A more realistic option is Andreas Seidl, the man credited with much of the turn-around at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/11\/05\/mclaren-we-cannot-assume-mcl39-will-be-fastest-car-in-brazil\/\" target=\"_self\">McLaren<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Seidl is undoubtedly a front-runner to fill Cowell&#8217;s role, especially since he could join immediately. Unlike most other options, he is not bound by gardening leave or any other such restriction.<\/p>\n<p>Over the coming weeks, there should be a clearer image about Aston Martin&#8217;s next team principal. Horner should not be written off, but Seidl&#8217;s solid track record makes him a very realistic candidate.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo: Sam Bloxham\/LAT Images (Aston Martin Media Gallery)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the background of a dramatic post-race disqualification for the McLaren&#8217;s in Las Vegas, another surprise story was beginning to spread across the paddock. A report from racingnews365, revealed that Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell is at risk of being replaced. Since then, multiple outlets have confirmed the former Mercedes engineer&#8217;s days at the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4927,"featured_media":38019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[2464,2462,1566,2452,2584],"class_list":["post-38018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-1","category-news","tag-amr25","tag-andy-cowell","tag-aston-martin","tag-f1-2025-season","tag-seidl"],"modified_by":"Jaden Diaz-Ndisang","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4927"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38018"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38025,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38018\/revisions\/38025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}