[Saba Sports News] Spanish veteran F1 journalist Antonio Lobato revealed that Adrian Newey’s tenure as team principal may be on borrowed time, and the team is already searching for replacements. Lobato said that after Aston Martin’s disastrous start to the 2026 season, the camp is full of disappointment and anxiety, and the tense atmosphere is only escalating. On the Soy Motor podcast, Lobato stated that the current crisis goes beyond the vibration issues that have plagued Newey’s cars — there is another, deeper problem: the Honda engine’s power deficit “far exceeds 50 horsepower.” The Shanghai race fully exposed the severity of the problem. In that event Fernando Alonso experienced violent vibrations that made it almost impossible to hold the steering wheel and was ultimately forced to retire. There was also a scene that stunned fans: Sergio Perez, driving a Cadillac, comfortably overtook Alonso on the straight, and Alonso even waved to his old friend from the cockpit. On every straight, the Cadillac was about half a second faster than the Aston Martin. This crisis has raised questions about Aston Martin’s unconventional new management structure; Newey is expected to carry both his usual car-design responsibilities and the team principal role, which he is less familiar with. There are even rumors that Christian Horner could be a candidate to return to the position.
The editor’s note: let’s wait and see the Miami race on May 3 — if Aston Martin’s pace remains at the back, no one will be able to shoulder this blame for Newey, because he is the team principal.