Did Red Bull try to sign Andy Cowell, the ex-Mercedes and new Aston Martin chief?

Red Bull were questioned about whether they tried to add Andy Cowell to their Powertrains project.

Cowell has signed for Aston Martin to become their new group chief executive officer.

Notably, he oversaw the engine which helped Mercedes become F1’s dominant manufacturer.

F1 is heading for a new engine era which begins in 2026, when Red Bull will manufacture their own engines through their Powertrains company, in partnership with Ford.

But did Red Bull Powertrains try to snare Cowell to lead its mission?

“Andy is a great guy,” team principal Christian Horner said. “He’s a very strong engineer.

“He did a wonderful job at [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains], he was the main backbone behind that project.

“He elected to leave Mercedes and spend some time outside of Formula 1, and of course I think every single engine manufacturer spoke to him during that period.

“After he decided he wanted to take time out, we made alternative plans.

“We’re very happy with those plans, but he’s taken on a role that is not engine related within Aston Martin.”

Cowell’s new job at Aston Martin effectively puts him in charge of the F1 team owned by billionaire Lawrence Stroll.

Aston Martin will enter the new engine regulation era in 2026 with a new Silverstone facility, and with Honda as their engine partner.

With Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll reconfirmed for 2025, Aston Martin will hope to get back to the form shown last year.

Alonso’s podium in Bahrain at the first round of 2023 hinted at greater things but, this year, they have slipped behind Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari in the fight against Red Bull.