Ex-Mercedes PU guru Cowell to replace Whitmarsh at Aston Martin
F1 NewsTuesday, 02 July 2024 at 16:30
Former Mercedes Formula 1 engine boss Andy Cowell is joining Aston Martin as group CEO in place of Martin Whitmarsh, the Silverstone-based team confirmed on Tuesday as part of dedicating every resource available to win the F1 World Championship.
Mercedes will allow Cowell to start with Aston Martin on 1 October 2024, reporting to the team's co-owner and executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, with Whitmarsh (who joined AMR in October 2021) handing over responsibility before the end of the year.
The Briton was managing director of Mercedes AMG GPP (High Performance Powertrains) during a period of dominance for Mercedes who won a record eight successive constructors' championships.
A key man also in the success of seven-times F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, he stepped down in July 2020 and moved to a consulting role.
Aston Martin are switching from Mercedes engines to Honda, currently the suppliers of world champions Red Bull, from 2026 when the sport enters a new era with changed engine and aerodynamic regulations.
Cowell's CV is impressive
Fellow of IMechE and the Royal Academy of Engineering. His career started at Cosworth before joining BMW Motorsport in 2000 and Mercedes-Ilmor in 2004 as Principal Engineer.
At Mercedes-Benz HPE, he was Engineering Director between 2008 and 2013. Andy became Managing Director of Mercedes AMG HPP in 2013 during the successful V6 turbo-hybrid era where the Mercedes F1 team won both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships between 2014 and 2020.
Cowell said in the team statement: “I am thrilled to join Lawrence’s exciting project and look forward to working with the talented group of people that has been assembled. F1 has always been my competitive passion.
"I am joining Aston Martin Aramco at an exciting time with the imminent completion of the AMR Technology Campus and our transition in 2026 to a full works team with our strategic partners Honda and Aramco," added Cowell.
Stroll: Andy will have every resource available to win
Stroll, whose son Lance drives for Aston Martin alongside double world champion Fernando Alonso, said the engineer was joining at a crucial time while thanking the outgoing CEO: “I am delighted to welcome Andy to our team at a crucial time.
"Together with our works partnership with Honda, the commitment from our title partner Aramco and Andy’s leadership we are on track to become a world championship winning team. Andy has my full backing and will have every resource available to win."
Of Whitmarsh's departure, Stroll said: "I would like to thank Martin who has been instrumental in our growth phase as a business. In the last three years, he has developed the team and has helped us achieve some significant milestones.
"This includes fostering our relationship with Honda and delivering our state-of-the-art AMR Technology Campus at Silverstone," added the Canadian billionaire whose team has yet to win a Grand Prix since he became boss, and it returned to F1 in 2021 after a forgettable F1 foray in 1959 and 1960.
Cowell, who won 12 F1 world titles in six years including both the F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, was hailed by departing Whitmarsh as "an incredible asset" and said he would be stepping away to focus on other projects.
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