Guenther Steiner says ‘overpromoted’ Adrian Newey has no idea what being a team principal involves

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Guenther Steiner has claimed that Adrian Newey doesn’t know what being a team principal involves amid Aston Martin’s ongoing struggles.

Newey, 67, is regarded as F1’s greatest car designer, having played a major role in multiple championship-winning teams.

Before the 2026 season started, it was widely expected that Newey would lead Aston Martin into the start of a successful era.

However, Aston Martin have endured a nightmare start to the Newey era as the AMR26 has proved to be very problematic.

It has been well documented that Aston Martin have experienced intense vibrations from the Honda-powered engine, causing issues for both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

What are your current sentiments towards Aston Martin turning around their 2026 F1 season?

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Guenther Steiner questions Aston Martin’s decision to appoint Adrian Newey as team principal

Speaking on the latest episode of the Drive to Wynn podcast, Steiner questioned whether Aston Martin had ‘overpromoted’ Newey with their decision to appoint him as team principal.

He went on to claim that Newey doesn’t know what the role of team principal involves.

Steiner said: “I think if you would ask Adrian, he would say, ‘I don’t know why I did this or why I agreed to this.’ I don’t know how it happened, if he wanted to be team principal or not, but that’s obviously not where his strength is.

“He’s very good at what he’s doing, which is designing cars – obviously not the Aston Martin at the moment, but he will fix it.

“I think it was an Adrian thing, ‘I need to be team principal’, not knowing what being a team principal involves. Therefore, it didn’t last long.

“It shows you should always put the people where their strength is, never overpromote them.”

READ MORE: Aston Martin cornering data embarrasses Adrian Newey after he blamed Honda for their problems

Honda and Aston Martin scenario a ‘disaster’

In recent weeks, former Audi team boss Jonathan Wheatley has been linked with a move to Aston Martin following his exit from the German manufacturer.

However, journalist Will Buxton has questioned why anyone would want to take over the team principal role at Aston Martin.

He said on the Up to Speed podcast: “The Honda scenario at Aston Martin is a disaster, and it is as bad, if not worse, than what McLaren was facing when Honda first came back in 2015.

“They didn’t get a Grand Prix win until 2019, that’s their fifth season back, and it was with a different team, after they moved to Red Bull.

“So if you are stepping into that Aston Martin position right now, you have got to be aware that for the foreseeable future, possibly the rest of this decade, you’re completely screwed.”

Looking ahead, Newey has an almighty task on his hands as he looks to steer Aston Martin out of their early-season troubles.