Lawrence Stroll sets the ‘record straight’ as F1 Aston Martin rumors swirl

Mar 20, 2026 - 18:30

Lawrence Stroll, chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc, right, and Adrian Newey, managing technical partner of the Aston Martin Formula One Team, during a news conference at the AMR Technology Campus at Silverstone, UK, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. The Aston Martin Formula One team has signed star designer Adrian Newey in a move billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll hopes will turn it into a championship contender. Photographer: Darren Staples/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Jonathan Wheatley’s departure as team principal of Audi Formula 1 Team has sent shockwaves through the sport.

The move comes as rumors of a shock move to Aston Martin to take over as team principal — allowing the legendary Adrian Newey to focus on the technical side of the operation as the team looks to rebound after a difficult start to the 2026 season — have reverberated throughout the grid this week. Aston Martin’s technical struggles, which have seen Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso fail to complete a race this season, have only fueled those rumors.

After starting as the team’s managing technical partner last March, Newey also took on the job as Aston Martin’s team principal in November of 2025. But adding a new team principal, rumored to be Wheatley, would allow Newey to focus on the technical side of the operation.

Now, Lawrence Stroll is setting the “record straight” as the rumors continue to swirl around his team.

In a statement shared with the media and posted on the team’s website, Stroll wanted to “take this opportunity to set the record straight” regarding Newey’s role.

“With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight,” began Stroll. “As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.

“We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere – it is by design.

“As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled Senior Leadership Team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the Campus and trackside.

“We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on [rumor] and speculation”.

While that may set the record straight for the moment, it is unlikely to tamp down the rumors around a potential move by Wheatley from Audi to Aston Martin ahead of next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.