Adrian Newey’s move to Aston Martin has been officially announced after months of speculation.
The switch brings an end to the rumours surrounding the future of the technical guru who has earned more titles through his designs than any driver has won on track.
But is this the right move? Our F1 writers take a look.
Mark Mann-Bryans – Masterful Newey earned the right to decide on his next move
In all the bluster surrounding Newey’s departure from Red Bull and subsequent appointment as the man to take Aston Martin to the next level, one thing has been constant – the praise for the job he has done at all his previous teams.
Now, at an age when most would be considering retirement, Newey has forgone beach-side strolls to work with the Strolls. It has drawn criticism, even derision, from some quarters. But surely this is a man who has earned the right to make whatever decision he deems fit at this stage?
It will be one final payday, and there is no beating around the bush that it is an eye-watering salary with other incentives besides, but – as above – his previous work has determined the market value to land a man you believe can change your fortunes.
Adrian Newey, Managing Technical Partner, Aston Martin F1 Team and Lawrence Stroll, Owner, Aston Martin F1 Team onstage
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
There is also far less pressure going to a team like Aston Martin than if Newey had decided to make the move to Ferrari, the biggest and best-known squad in Formula 1 that is without a constructors’ title in 2008 and where the expectation that a dream alliance of Newey and Lewis Hamilton would set about ushering in a new era of dominance for the Prancing Horse.
Whether he can deliver once again or provides little return on the heavy investment in his ability, only time will tell, and all eyes will be on the 2026 Aston Martin challenger when it first hits the track – but Newey’s record means he was well within his rights to take what he deemed was the best role for him at this stage of his illustrious career.
Jake Boxall-Legge – Neither Newey nor Aston have anything to lose
Adrian Newey considered “sailing around the world” as one of his options in a post-Red Bull career, but the challenge of taking Aston Martin truly into the big time was appealing enough to stick around in F1. He’s won everything that one can win, and worked with many of the championship’s leading lights during his time at the drawing board. There’s nothing really left to achieve.
He’s got nothing to lose by taking one last challenge with Aston Martin. Failing to win a title in the time he chooses to spend at Lawrence Stroll’s green army won’t erase the indelible marks he has left on F1’s history, or tarnish his successes at Williams, McLaren, or Red Bull. Win, and he’ll likely get the credit. Lose, and he’ll still remain an ever-defied design great.
Colin Chapman’s legacy was not defined by the Lotus 81 or 88, but by the 25 and the 72. John Barnard’s career was underlined by the McLaren MP4/2, not the Arrows A19. Rory Byrne? The Benetton and Ferrari years defined his contributions to F1, not the Toleman TG181.
Adrian Newey, Aston Martin Formula One Team
Photo by: Aston Martin Racing
For Aston Martin, it would have been almost folly not to sign him. Lawrence Stroll had been in need of a star signing to catapult his team into the stratosphere, and Newey’s sudden availability upon his announced departure from Red Bull was the perfect opportunity.
The British engineer’s track record at determining the best route for a new regulatory framework has been excellent: the McLaren MP4/13 was the best of the narrow-track, grooved-tyre cars implemented for 1998, the Red Bull RB5 was the class of the field by the end of 2009’s wing dimension changes, the Red Bull RB18 and RB19 were easily the most successful cars amid the 2022 return to ground-effect floors, and there’s a case to be made for his glass-cannon McLaren MP4-20 when the regs changed in 2005.
So, why not? The Aston-Newey partnership is very unlikely to be a failure – and even if it is, Newey walks out a rich man and Aston Martin tries again with the next hot technical property. And the world keeps on turning.
