Adrian Newey just highlighted exactly why Aston Martin are hiring Jonathan Wheatley as team boss

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Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has explained his silence during the team’s dreadful 2026 season.

Newey appeared in the official F1 press conference ahead of the season opener in Australia, almost four months ago now, but has only attended one race since – the Monaco GP. He didn’t conduct any official media duties in the principality.

This has inevitably raised questions about the leadership structure at Aston Martin, who have locked out the back row of the grid in each of the last three races and already suffered 10 DNFs this year.

Are Aston Martin below ‘F1 standards’ right now, or is Guenther Steiner being unfair?

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Adrian Newey on handing Aston Martin media duties to Mike Krack

In an interview with the official Aston Martin website, Newey was asked about the ‘division of responsibility’ at the team given that trackside engineering director Mike Krack has become their de facto spokesperson.

Newey says it simply reflects their individual strengths, even though it is at odds with the usual expectations of a team principal.

He said: “At the track, in terms of representing the team publicly and dealing with the media, that’s very much Mike’s role. He’s extremely good at it.

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“That structure allows me to focus my time where I can add the most value – working with the team in Silverstone on the engineering, long‑term strategy and overall direction – while Mike leads the weekend‑to‑weekend track responsibilities.”

He admitted elsewhere in the interview that he wasn’t ‘100%’ healthwise in 2025, but says he’s ‘okay now’.

Will Aston Martin announce Jonathan Wheatley at British Grand Prix?

Newey’s response explains exactly why Aston Martin have reportedly been looking for a new team principal. At the moment, it’s as if Newey and Krack are each doing 50% of the job.

After Jonathan Wheatley left Audi, he was widely expected to reunite with former Red Bull colleague Newey. The story has gone rather quiet lately, but F1 photographer and paddock insider Kym Illman has heard that the move could be announced at their home race.

It’s unclear whether Wheatley, who looked comfortable in the limelight at Audi, would be able to start work with Aston immediately. F1 figures routinely serve periods of gardening leave in between switching teams.

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“A few people this weekend told me that Jonathan Wheatley will be announced as Aston Martin team principal,” Illman said on the Paddock Access podcast. “Two people said it’s going to happen at Silverstone.

“I don’t know if that’s the case. I said earlier this year that he was to get this gig with Aston Martin, but I’m just not sure that the timing is this weekend. If it does happen, you heard it from me.”