Andy Cowell, the father of the power units with which Mercedes dominated until 2020, could return to F1 through the front door. The former head of the Brixworth engine department, who left the silver team at the end of Lewis Hamilton’s last world championship season, is a candidate to become CEO of Aston Martin, a role currently occupied by Martin Whitmarsh. The move could constitute an obstacle to the arrival of former team principal Mattia Binotto, who in Imola had a long meeting with Lawrence Stroll, the Canadian billionaire owner of the team, precisely to talk about the future.
COWELL expert and winner
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Aston Martin is looking to relaunch after a very disappointing first half of the championship, with drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll still far from the top positions, which they had instead conquered at the beginning of the previous season. A step backwards that requires an answer: Stroll senior, after having invested in the wind tunnel and other infrastructures of the new headquarters in Silverstone, is now increasingly looking for a technical-managerial figure of reference. And Cowell, with his 16-year winning experience at Mercedes, is certainly authoritative.
Binotto Alpine Court
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As for Binotto, replaced by Frederic Vasseur at the helm of the Ferrari Sporting Management in January 2023, it is likely that he also has other offers on the table. Alpine had already contacted him last summer, but at that time Binotto felt the need to stay away from F.1 for a while after the very long adventure in Maranello. Now the scenario has changed, also because Flavio Briatore, wanted by president Luca de Meo, has arrived to act as a super consultant for the French team that is sailing in dire straits.
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SAINZ AT THE SIMULATOR
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Meanwhile, Ferrari is studying countermeasures after the declining performances of the last three races, which saw the reds behind Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes. Spaniard Carlos Sainz was already busy in the Maranello simulator today, returning from the Austrian GP where he finished in third place, to find a better set-up with which to tackle Sunday’s race at Silverstone. The latest package of aerodynamic developments has unbalanced the SF24, so much so that the old problem of the floor bouncing at high speeds has returned to the car. To solve it, the engineers have worked on the suspension and the ride height of the car. Meanwhile, technical director Enrico Cardile has come under scrutiny after the highly disappointing results following Charles Leclerc’s victory in Monte Carlo.
