Adrian Newey reportedly gave former Red Bull colleague and team principal Christian Horner a tour of Aston Martin’s factory “under cover of darkness”.

Newey is set to become Aston Martin’s next team principal next year as part of a major restructure that sees Andy Cowell removed from his current position of team principal and chief executive officer just 13 months after he joined the Silverstone-based squad.

Rumours of Cowell being sacked from Aston Martin gathered pace during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, with Horner tipped as a potential candidate to replace him.

However, in a shock move, Aston Martin named Newey as their new team principal in an announcement on Wednesday.

Newey, who will attend this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, is believed to have taken Horner on a tour of Aston Martin’s factory on Tuesday night.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

“Newey is said to have given his former Red Bull colleague a tour of the Aston Martin factory under cover of darkness on Tuesday night,” BBC Sport report.

Could Horner still end up at Aston Martin?

The same BBC Sport report added that Horner “will not be given a role at Aston Martin”, citing sources at the team. 

But Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater has suggested there could still be room for Horner at Aston Martin.

Horner agreed a severance package following his Red Bull sacking that enables him to return to work in F1 next spring. 

“Might this still be an interim solution, not necessarily removing the team principal title from Newey, which he will hold into the 2026 season and onwards,” Slater said.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

“Is there space still for a chief executive figure, perhaps along the lines of the job Zak Brown does at McLaren, and could that figure possibly still be Christian Horner?

“Horner was associated with potentially succeeding Cowell as team principal himself. Horner cannot work in F1 until April next year. He is looking not just for a job in F1 but for a stake holding within a team.

“Is there still potential for him to link up again with Newey, despite their past differences, which we understand have been set aside?

“With Horner maybe taking on more of the political and front-of-house roles with the media, leaving Newey to be team principal and also to devote as much time as possible to designing iterations of future Aston Martin cars.”

Subscribe to our F1 Newsletter