Aston Martin recently announced the signing of Andy Cowell, who will leave Mercedes to join the Silverstone-based team in October this year. While Lawrence Stroll has managed to bag a big scalp in the F1 paddock, ESPN’s Nate Saunders feels the move can easily backfire.
Cowell is considered by many as a power unit expert. And his addition would no doubt be a big deal for Aston Martin. That being said, Saunders compared Stroll‘s latest signing spree to the ‘Galacticos’ approach of Real Madrid – something that has not always paid off for the fifteen-time Champions League winners.
On the ESPN Unlapped F1 podcast, Saunders explained, “I always wonder – putting a lot of great accomplished people together looks great on paper. [But] you’ve got a lot of egos there. How do you manage people?”
“That’s certainly the target”
Chief technology officer of Red Bull Racing Adrian Newey discusses his future in the sport and when he is likely to decide his next move ️ pic.twitter.com/lRzBH3ZF1d
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 2, 2024
He expressed his concerns about the entire dynamic of the team getting imbalanced. He recounted the big names that are already there on the team such as Dan Fallows, and the people who are rumored to join them like Adrian Newey.
However, Laurence Edmondson was quick to point out a prominent character trait of Cowell that would ensure that Aston Martin does not end up slipping down the pecking order owing to infighting and squabbling egos.
Aston Martin has bagged an “inspirational leader” in Andy Cowell
Edmondson countered Saunders’ argument by pointing out the kind of leader Cowell is. He explained how Cowell’s ego would not be a problem for Aston Martin to deal with and that Cowell was the kind of leader who would pull his peers up and motivate them to perform at their very best.
“I don’t think there is a shred of ego in the way he [Cowell] operates,” explained Edmondson. He went on to add that with Newey also possibly joining the team, Aston Martin would have a pair of leaders who could turn the fortunes of the team around very quickly.
Martin Whitmarsh will be leaving Aston Martin later this season with ex-Mercedes managing director, Andy Cowell, to take over as group chief executive officer.#AstonMartin #F1 pic.twitter.com/3TF4ITotz4
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) July 2, 2024
Cowell has often been dubbed as the mastermind of Mercedes’ turbo-hybrid dominance. He was leading the power unit side of things at Brackley which led to eight consecutive Constructors’ titles for Mercedes from 2014 to 2021. Cowell will join Aston Martin as their newest CEO from the 1st of October, 2024.
