Aston Martin confirm new team principal as Ferrari make Project 677 breakthrough – roundup

Henry Valantine 10 Jan 2025 10:00 PM

F1 news: Andy Cowell becomes Aston Martin team principal.

Andy Cowell sees his role doubled up at Aston Martin, with his Group CEO position now added to with team principal duties.

Friday’s fast-paced F1 news includes a new team principal for Aston Martin and a reported Project 677 breakthrough ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari.

Let’s dive on in.

F1 news: New Aston Martin boss, Ferrari Project 677 breakthrough, more

Andy Cowell named new Aston Martin team principal

The big breaking news of the day was the unexpected announcement of an organisational restructure at Aston Martin, which saw new Group CEO Andy Cowell double up on that role by taking on the job of team principal.

Mike Krack will remain with the company and keep attending races in the new role of ‘chief trackside officer’ to lead on at-track operations, but Cowell will now take on team principal duties.

It is a big change at Aston Martin as they restructure, which also includes further changes within its technical team with former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile stepping up and Tom McCullough remaining in a leadership role as Aston broaden their motorsport horizons.

Ferrari’s Project 677 to unlock Lewis Hamilton of old?

Ferrari fans are naturally looking for all they can to get excited about ahead of the new season, not least because the sport’s most successful driver is arriving at the team alongside another potential title challenger in Charles Leclerc.

The media in Italy are looking for every detail they can find on the Scuderia’s new challenger, and a report claims that the arrival of Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes colleague, Loic Serra, and his specific technical expertise, is set to alter the “basic behaviour” of the car to get the most out of it for Hamilton’s liking.

Exclusive: Oliver Oakes on Alpine’s leadership structure

Prior to the news of Cowell’s Aston Martin role change, Oliver Oakes had been the newest team principal on the grid having been appointed by Alpine last year.

Oakes sat down with PlanetF1.com to detail exactly how his role fits in at Alpine alongside Renault CEO Luca de Meo and executive advisor Flavio Briatore, himself formerly the team boss at Team Enstone in their Renault and Benetton days.

In a much broader conversation, he said:?“The three of us are in everything together. There’s no organisation chart, there’s no power play, it’s really transparent and I think probably that was something missing maybe before as well.”

Hamilton vs Verstappen title fight makes F1 ‘more dangerous’

FIA steward and former Toro Rosso driver Vitantonio Liuzzi believes the titanic Drivers’ Championship battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton made the sport “more dangerous” in a way, given how closely contested their fights were on track.

Liuzzi explained:?“I believe that in 2021 Hamilton and Verstappen raised up the level of competition, because it was an amazing season, maybe one of the most beautiful of the last 20 years. But obviously they brought it to a more dangerous…

“In Monza it could have end up in a more dangerous situation, the year after Budapest was quite dangerous. We don’t want to, let’s say, be linked on luck. We want to be super safe for the good of the sport and of the drivers that are in the car.

“And I think we are working super well. We have a great show. We just want that is all more clear for the drivers for how they can handle the competition.”

Column: Franco Colapinto’s popularity proof of F1’s need to grow beyond the USA

With Franco Colapinto joining Alpine on a reserve role, our own Elizabeth Blackstock has taken a look at how his huge popularity gained in such a short space of time is why Formula 1 needs to take a look at the whole of the Americas, and not just the United States, when considering growth opportunities.

The 21-year-old has already become has massive star in Argentina, and could well see his star rise further if he makes it back onto the grid.

Red Bull Franco Colapinto Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Oliver Oakes