Hughes: Cowell is one of the most successful engineers in F1

Yesterday it was announced that Andy Cowel will become one of the leaders of Aston Martin – the 55-year-old British engineer will take on the role of CEO, replacing Martin Whitmarsh in this role.

Just how valuable an employee the Silverstone team has attracted is evident from a column Mark Hughes wrote a few years ago when Cowell parted ways with Mercedes…

Andy Cowell is a highly talented racing engineer, always focused on achieving results. He stands out for his ability to think progressively and his aggressive approach to problem solving. He often manages to achieve things that others could not even imagine.

This is confirmed by the Cosworth CR-1 engines of the 1999 model, the BMW P81, made in 2001, and the Mercedes PU106 hybrid power plant, introduced in 2014. Each of these projects set new standards in the construction of racing engines. From Cowell’s point of view, you can always achieve the most excellent results if you choose the right path to your goal.

This alone makes him one of the most successful engineers in Formula 1 history. But something else is even more striking about him: he is not only an engineer, he is also a talented organizer who knows how to inspire the entire team.

When Andy Cowell was chief engine engineer at Mercedes, Mercedes High Performance Powertrains dominated Formula 1, a feat he achieved by building a team of hundreds of talented individuals who were tuned to his wavelength and worked very cohesively.

One felt that he was always charged with exuberant energy, yet always available for communication and excellent at explaining the most complex issues.

In addition, in his spare time he is involved in motorsport, so he understands everything not only on a theoretical level and understands that the best engine cannot be built simply by working on a test bench – such an engine must be optimized, taking into account the characteristics of a specific chassis.

After successful projects with Cosworth and BMW, he joined Ilmor in 2004, which subsequently became Mercedes HPP, and after a few years became chief engineer, in 2008 one of the directors, and in 2012 Cowell led the company.

When he gets going, all decisions are made very quickly, and Andy is always focused on achieving the end result, that is: improving lap times.

He once told me: “The art of an engineer is to find the right balance, which requires creativity, intuition and the ability to solve problems within the given time. In addition, determination and perseverance are required because racing is always a kind of exploratory process where the success rate is quite low. If it is 20%, that is already good.

Perseverance is what it takes when your efforts are met with failure one after another, and then you have to be able to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and say to yourself, “So what has this taught us?” You can never give up.”