“He’s the one everyone wanted.” The latest engineer Aston Martin has signed in F1 has been a source of concern at Red Bull

Although the performance on the track has not been too buoyant this season, it cannot be denied that Aston Martin is putting together a team to die for for the coming seasons. In recent weeks, two heavyweights from the paddock have joined the team: Andy Cowell and Enrico Cardile.

In Cowell’s case, he was one of the most sought-after pieces on the engineering market. To the point that Christian Horner himself has acknowledged that both Red Bull and all the other teams were behind himAnd Cowell was a key part of Mercedes’ dominance in the last change of engine regulations.

Andy Cowell, the father of Mercedes hybrid engines, joins Aston Martin

“He’s the one everyone wanted. All the manufacturers went for him since he left Mercedes,” Horner admits openly about Cowell, who will be the new CEO of Aston Martin replacing Martin Whitmarsh. Aston Martin’s petrodollars have finally convinced the English engineer.

Andy Cowell was the person in charge of Mercedes’ hybrid engines who dominated Formula 1 between 2014 and 2021, although he left the German team in mid-2020. Signing him was key because in 2026 the engine regulations change again, and Aston Martin has taken him.

“He’s a great guy, he’s a very strong engineer and he did a wonderful job at Mercedes with the engines, he was the main backbone behind that project,” Horner concludes about Aston Martin’s latest signing. The best thing is that his incorporation also seems Key to attracting the big fish, Adrian Newey.

And it is that since the time of McLaren Newey’s relationship with Whitmarsh has not been goodespecially after his departure to Red Bull. Whitmarsh’s presence as CEO of Aston Martin was one of the impediments to Newey’s arrival, but with Cowell in charge and Whitmarsh out of the team, the path is clear.

In the last year, the list of great engineers who have joined Aston Martin is extensive. Not just because of Cowell and Cardilethe two most recent, but also names like Bob Bell or Thijs van Rees. A hypothetical arrival of Adrian Newey, which will not be announced until September, would be the perfect icing on the cake.

Aston Martin does not lose sight of improve Fernando Alonso’s car already this year, but the sights are set on the long term, specifically 2026.