Aston Martin Formula 1 CEO Andy Cowell says Ferrari hire Enrico Cardile is already making his mark on the team's ambitious 2026 project.
Former Ferrari technical director Cardile finally started his role as Chief Technical Officer for Aston Martin at the start of August following a 12-month gardening period, which was subject of lengthy legal proceedings back in Italy.
Cardile's arrival is the final piece of the puzzle as the Lawrence Stroll-owned team put together an ensemble cast to tackle F1's 2026 regulation overhaul, which is providing the ambitious squad with the best opportunity to become a frontrunner.
Cardile has joined forces with legendary designer Adrian Newey, who in his role as managing technical partner has been exclusively focused on bringing the 2026 car to life.
Reporting on Cardile's start at Aston's Silverstone campus, Cowell said the vastly experienced Italian has already made an impact on his new team, which has rapidly grown in numbers over the past 24 months.
"Enrico is a wonderful human being with a wealth of experience in Formula 1, both in terms of organisational methods and technical understanding," Cowell said.
"He's not been with us for long, but the team can feel that experience already through the early impact he's had, and I'm excited to see how that develops further as he fully embeds himself and gets to know everyone.
"On a personal note, being in a position to work with the likes of Enrico, Adrian and all the other fantastic minds we have inside the team, as we bid to get Aston Martin to the front of the Formula 1 grid, is hugely exciting. Adrian has added a big lift to the approach the team is taking and people are enjoying their work; they're smiling at the results they're seeing."
Aston's well documented 2026 focus has seen its results this season suffer, but a series of smaller upgrades has allowed Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll to fight higher up in the midfield, accentuated by empathic double points finishes in Hungary and the Netherlands.
Those results lifted it above Racing Bulls and Sauber into sixth, but its bid to go after fifth-placed Williams hit a snag with a disappointing weekend in Monza, where Alonso's front suspension collapsed during the race. The team believes the suspension was damaged by gravel kicked up by another car, with the continuous loading eventually causing the part to give way. Meanwhile, Williams eked out its lead to 24 points thanks to Alex Albon finishing in seventh.
"We'll become stronger through understanding that. Issues are painful, but they provide opportunity to learn and the willingness from the team to do so has been great," Cowell said, while being content with the value for money the team managed to get out of the limited resources it invested into its mid-season upgrades, including an upgraded floor and front wing.
"With the slender amount of resource that's still being applied to AMR25, it's really good to see the way department leaders have been pulling together to work out the best direction for development and optimisation," he added. "Of course, we would love to put more of our energy into the AMR25, but nearly all of our time now is being spent on the 2026 car.
"Naturally, we're focused on the bits that have not gone so well so we can keep improving."
