Aston Martin Eyes Ex-Red Bull Designer Craig Skinner to Reinforce Newey’s Technical Group

Overview

• Red Bull confirmed last week that long-serving chief designer Craig Skinner left the team with immediate effect after nearly two decades.
• Multiple reports, led by La Gazzetta dello Sport, link Skinner with a potential move to Aston Martin under Adrian Newey.
• Skinner is understood to be on mandatory gardening leave of around six months, limiting any near-term influence on Aston Martin’s 2026 car.
• Aston Martin is grappling with reliability and performance problems tied to its new Honda power unit and gearbox, including overheating and suspected battery-electrical shortfalls.
• Observers say the AMR26’s tight packaging and extensive cooling vents point to thermal compromises, with talk of possible Honda updates later that would require careful integration.