P1racenews AI automatic summary:
In 2026, Aston Martin hopes to aim high with Honda. To do so, they seem to want to strengthen the organisation with some more big names.
The appointment of Adrian Newey as Aston Martin team principal ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix was a surprising choice given the ongoing discussions with Andreas Seidl. Although Seidl’s potential involvement is not off the table, especially for a CEO role different from Zak Brown’s at McLaren. There were efforts to attract Mattia Binotto, but his commitment to Audi’s Formula 1 project has likely prevented an immediate switch. Lawrence Stroll’s team has shown interest in Gianpiero Lambiase, a highly-regarded race engineer, to bolster their technical operations. Lambiase, known for guiding Max Verstappen to four world championships, represents the caliber of talent Aston Martin aims to attract. While there is no immediate move anticipated, the interest in Lambiase echoes a wider trend in the paddock, with McLaren also reportedly in contact with the engineer. These contacts, however, have not evolved into formal negotiations at this point.
