Forget the effect of McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas on the three-way battle for the drivers’ championship. Adrian Newey’s appointment as team principal of Aston Martin F1 was the hot topic on opening day in the Losail paddock.
This may indeed have been the point: rumours that Andy Cowell was to be removed from his position as CEO and team principal had been gathering pace, since it was known that owner Lawrence Stroll was agitating for change and had been talking to potential replacements. But if the intention of making Cowell’s change of circumstances official was to bring such intrigue to a halt, it has not had the desired effect.
