Johnny Herbert, the former Formula 1 driver, has expressed doubts over whether Adrian Newey can successfully handle the scale of responsibility that comes with his new role at Aston Martin.

Newey officially joined the Silverstone-based team last year as managing technical partner and is set to step into the role of team principal from the start of the 2026 season, replacing Mike Cowell, who has moved into the position of chief strategy officer. It marks the first time in Newey’s long Formula 1 career that he will act as a team boss, while still remaining deeply involved in the technical direction of the car.

At the same time, Newey has played a key role in the design of Aston Martin’s 2026 challenger, the AMR26, making his workload even more intense as the sport prepares for a major rules reset.

Speaking to RacingNews365, Herbert admitted he was surprised by Newey’s appointment and questioned whether the dual role is sustainable.

“We’re going to have to wait and see if that actually works, because if he is supposed to be doing both things, that’s one hell of an ask,” Herbert said.

He stressed that the role of team principal alone demands huge levels of time and energy, even with a strong management structure in place.

“I think, as a team principal, it’s a hell of a lot of work that has to be done. Yeah, you’ve got people around you who help, but even so, it takes a lot of energy to be able to do that,” the three-time Grand Prix winner explained.

Looking ahead to 2026, Herbert believes there are still many unknowns surrounding Aston Martin’s overall package, including its new works partnership with Honda.

“We’ll just have to wait and see exactly what the team he’s created is able to do with it, with the design of the car, and how fast that will be. It will also depend on how the power unit works, with Honda coming in at the same time. So there are a lot of ifs and maybes — and probably more ifs and maybes than for anybody else, in many respects,” added the former Stewart GP and Benetton driver.