Former Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko has claimed that Adrian Newey is "not doing well" with Aston Martin enduring a horrid start to the F1 season.
The Austrian, who left the six-time constructors' champions at the end of last year, worked alongside the legendary aerodynamicist for almost two decades, and says the two have been in touch so far this campaign.
Newey's role at Aston Martin expanded from managing technical partner to encompass team principal responsibilities at the turn of the year.
The opening two rounds of the season have been nothing short of catastrophic for the Lawrence Stroll-owned team, with its fledgling power unit partnership with Honda starting miserably.
Aston Martin's struggles have been evident both in outright pace and reliability, with the team languishing towards the back of the field despite significant investment and lofty ambitions.
The much-anticipated Honda return to full works involvement has thus far produced a battery with excessive vibrations, to the extent that neither Lance Stroll nor Fernando Alonso can complete a full race distance.
Newey shared in Melbourne that the latter felt he could risk "permanent nerve damage" in his hands if he were to attempt more than 25 consecutive laps in the AMR26.
The situation has inevitably placed increased scrutiny on Newey, whose shock switch from Red Bull was expected to spearhead a new era of success for the Silverstone outfit.
Instead, early signs suggest a project still in its infancy, with fundamental weaknesses yet to be resolved.
Speculation is now mounting that Newey could step back from his team principal duties to refocus on his traditional technical strengths.
"I've been in contact with him," Marko told OE24. "He's not doing well [on account of Aston Martin's difficult start to the F1 season].
The 82-year-old shared his belief that it will be a long road to recovery for the team, adding: "There are problems with this project that won't be solved quickly."
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