Adrian Newey to join Aston Martin F1 team

He will join the team both as a shareholder, and as Technical Managing Partner of Aston Martin, where he will oversee the design and development of the team's cars. In a press conference, Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin said he had initial conversations with Newey “about three years back,” but talks did not begin in earnest until he read news of the designer's departure from Red Bull.

It was announced in May that Newey would leave his role as Red Bull's Chief Technical Officer and depart in early 2025 upon the completion of his RB17 project.

Newey has spent the past 18 seasons at Red Bull Racing, where he guided the team to six constructors' championships and seven drivers’ titles. Prior to that, he had won world championships with both McLaren and Williams, making a name for himself as a legendary aerodynamicist and designer.

There was speculation that he would be tempted to move to Maranello and finally work for Ferrari alongside Lewis Hamilton, while talks with McLaren, Williams and Audi were also rumoured.

“I was very flattered by the number of teams that did approach me,” Newey said. “I had discussions with some of those teams, not all of them. It became a clear and natural choice [to join Aston].”

News also surfaced recently that Lawrence Stroll had tabled a big money offer to tempt Newey to join his burgeoning Aston Martin project. That temptation would appear to have worked after Newey visited the factory in June.

“The buildings are clearly mighty impressive,” he continued. “It's a real demonstration of Lawrence's commitment and vision for where he wants the team to get to.

“The combination of seeing all the facilities, how nice they feel and how well thought out the building is. That is a very visual demonstration of Lawrence... He has total belief, he has direction, and he's happy to put all his chips on black.”

The timing of this move could not have been better for either party. New regulations are set to land for the 2026 F1 season, and work on those next-generation cars is permitted to begin on 1^st January 2025.

Newey has a history of thriving under the challenge of a new rule set and will arrive at Aston Martin in time to begin penning the team's first challenger for the new era. He'll join up with Dan Fallows, with whom he worked successfully during Red Bull's first era of dominance in 2010-2013.

With the acquisition of Newey, Stroll's master plan is complete. Don't forget that Honda, which has supplied engines to Red Bull with great success in recent years, will return to F1 in 2026 as a works engine supplier for Aston Martin.

“I'll be very pleased to stay working with Honda,” he said. “I've really enjoyed working with them over the last six years with Red Bull. They're a great bunch of engineers, very easy to work with.

“On the chassis side, the aerodynamic regulations will be announced 1^st or 2^nd January, so I will be joining two months into that. It'll be a case of getting myself up to speed as quickly as possible."

“The '26 rules, of course they're an opportunity, they're a reset for everybody. Whether we'll be able to capitalise on that, we just don't know. I never spend too long fretting about these things, my attitude is always to do the best job you can and what will be will be at that point.”

And with Fernando Alonso still very much capable of adding to his tally of world titles, it would appear everything is now in place to bring championships to Silverstone. In the press conference Newey spoke of his admiration for the two-time champion.

“We've battled against each other for so many years, he became a bit of an arch enemy at times. He came so close to joining Red Bull for 2009, unfortunately it didn't quite happen, which was a great shame. He's a legend of the sport, so I very much look forward to working with him.”

Newey said that this move to Aston Martin is exactly the fresh start he was looking for, and that he is still as motivated as ever to deliver success to his new team. 

“I cannot deny that I am competitive in my profession. I just put pressure on myself to do the best job possible. I don't feel the need to prove myself anymore to the external world. My motivation is to do the best job I can, and feel that, regardless of the result.”

In a separate statement, Lawrence Stroll said: “This is huge news. Adrian is the best in the world at what he does – he is at the top of his game – and I am incredibly proud that he is joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. It’s the biggest story since the Aston Martin name returned to the sport and another demonstration of our ambition to build a Formula One team capable of fighting for world championships. 

“As soon as Adrian became available, we knew we had to make it happen. Our initial conversations confirmed that there was a shared desire to collaborate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I have ever met.

“When he saw what we have built at Silverstone – our incredible AMR Technology Campus, the talented group of people we have assembled and the latest wind tunnel in the sport – he quickly understood what we are trying to achieve. We mean business – and so does he. Adrian shares our hunger and ambition, he believes in this project, and he will help us write the next chapter in Aston Martin Aramco’s Formula One story.”

Newey added: “I am thrilled to be joining Aston Martin. I have been hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and commitment that Lawrence brings to everything he is involved with.”

“Lawrence is determined to create a world-beating team. He is the only majority team owner who is actively engaged in the sport. His commitment is demonstrated in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus and wind tunnel at Silverstone, which are not only state of the art but have a layout that creates a great environment to work in. 

“Together with great partners like Honda and Aramco, they have all the key pieces of infrastructure needed to make Aston Martin a world championship-winning team and I am very much looking forward to helping reach that goal.”