Aston Martin’s Adrian Newey set to make F1 paddock return at Monaco Grand Prix

Aston Martin team principal and tech guru Adrian Newey is set to make his return to the Formula 1 paddock at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

The 67-year-old legendary car designer has been absent from the F1 paddock since he appeared at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix back in March.

Newey has attended fewer F1 races in recent years, but he was expected to have a greater paddock presence this season in his new team principal role, although Aston Martin did stress he would not attend every round.

Monaco was one of the few races Newey was at last year.

British newspaper the Daily Mail recently reported that Newey had been suffering from ill health and had even been hospitalised with pneumonia.

Aston Martin did not confirm or deny whether this was true when approached for comment, with the team’s stance simply "we do not comment on personal matters relating to our team members.”

Newey is expected to make a long-awaited return to the F1 paddock this weekend in Monaco.

"I think we'll see him this weekend,” Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack told media including Crash.net on Thursday.

"So it's good, because he has a lot of experience here. Many race wins here, so I think there is certainly one or the other advice that we can get that will bring us forward. So we're looking forward to that.”

Ever since his sudden departure from Audi after less than a year at the team, former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has been heavily-linked with taking over as Aston Martin’s team principal.

In a rare public statement issued back in March, Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll said: "As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder.

"He is AMR's Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.

"We do things differently here, and while we don't currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere - it is by design.”

It has been a hugely difficult start to the 2026 season for Aston Martin and new engine partner Honda, with both power unit and car badly off the pace.