Adrian Newey will officially begin his role as managing technical partner at Aston Martin on March 3. Ahead of his arrival, the former Red Bull CTO has revealed his first “target” at the Silverstone-based squad whilst tempering expectations for an immediate performance boost, stating: “What will be, will be.”
Newey announced his surprising exit from Red Bull ahead of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix ending almost two decades of work with the team. At the time, Newey explained:
“Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars. My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality. For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing’s progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning Team.
“However, I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself. In the interim, the final stages of development of RB17 are upon us, so for the remainder of my time with the Team my focus will lie there. I would like to thank the many amazing people I have worked with at Red Bull in our journey over the last 18 years for their talent, dedication and hard work.”
In September 2024, Aston Martin officially confirmed Newey’s arrival, signing the legendary aerodynamicist on a long-term contract as managing technical partner.
Newey’s First Steps at Aston Martin
During an appearance on the BBC F1: Back at Base podcast, Newey revealed what his first priorities would be upon joining the team. He explained:
“I’m just looking forward to it and what will be, will be.
“The first target really is to get to know everybody here, understand how everybody works, and try to integrate myself with everybody.
Martin Whitmarsh, Group CEO, Aston Martin Performance Technologies, Dan Fallows, Technical Director, Aston Martin F1 Team, Andy Cowell, Group CEO, Aston Martin F1 Team, Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, Adrian Newey, Lawrence Stroll, Owner, Aston Martin F1 Team, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team, Tom McCullough, Performance Director, Aston Martin F1 Team, and Andy Stevenson, Sporting Director, Aston Martin F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“It’s talking to the drivers, it’s talking to my fellow engineers, trying to bounce ideas off them. Getting that sort of creative flow going.”
Newey joins the team as Aston Martin is also set to partner with Honda from 2026 as its official engine supplier. Newey previously claimed that with the joint resources of the Japanese marque and title sponsor Aramco, Aston Martin has the potential to become a championship-winning team in the future.
He said at the time of signing with the Lawrence Stroll-led team:
“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.”
