Aston Martin employee says ‘a lot of people’ have questioned Adrian Newey over one thing since joining the team

Adrian Newey is looking to continue his legendary reputation in Formula 1 as he hopes to build Aston Martin into a top team.

The British engineer has had incredible success in the sport, winning titles with Williams and McLaren. The peak of his ability was seen at Red Bull, as he built the cars that guided the team to eight drivers’ titles with Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, as well as seven constructors’ championships.

But ahead of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, Newey shocked the world as he announced his decision to leave Red Bull at the end of the year. He was very ambiguous about his future at first, with many believing he may retire from F1 after almost four decades in the sport.

However, it did not take long for teams up and down the paddock to try and lure him to their projects for 2025. Ferrari seemed to be the favourites to land Newey’s signature and partner him with Lewis Hamilton, but in the end, he opted for Aston Martin.

Ferrari are still suffering from Newey’s rejection, but the Brit has now firmly got his feet under the desk at Silverstone. He is fully focusing his efforts on the 2026 F1 regulations, where Aston Martin hope they will be a frontrunner with Honda on board as their engine supplier.

‘A lot of people’ have questioned Adrian Newey because of his age since joining Aston Martin

Before Newey confirmed his move to Aston Martin, retirement was a real possibility, considering that the legendary engineer is now 66 years old. His ability in F1 is still world-class, but the Brit admitted himself after confirming his Red Bull exit that he was getting a bit tired.

Aston Martin sim driver Daniel Juncadella says ‘a lot of people’ were questioning Newey because of his age when he first joined the team. But the Spaniard has lauded the impact he has had at Silverstone, even if he has never met him personally.

“No, I’ve never met him, honestly. I know he was in the simulator when Fernando was there last time, but that was before Barcelona,” said Juncadella via the Nachez YouTube channel.

“And I’ve seen him around the factory, I’ve seen him in the cafeteria eating, but I haven’t had the opportunity to meet him in person.

“But wow, it’s cool to see a guy like Newey there, you know? He has a presence, he has an aura. I’ve heard him in meetings, post FP1, FP2, when he was there in the simulator, and in the end, he’s a guy who, well, you can tell, right?

“He wants to move the team forward and questions everything. I mean, he’s a guy who’s always going to improve and there’s no doubt that he’s a great signing.

“And sometimes there are a lot of people who question him because of his age and all that.”

READ MORE:All to know about Aston Martin managing technical partner Adrian Newey

Fernando Alonso is loving Adrian Newey at Aston Martin – but more work needs to be done

While his attention is on 2026, Newey has had an impact at Aston Martin this season with his presence at certain races and feedback during practice sessions. Nico Rosberg says Newey has left ‘mouths open’ with his drawings back at the factory.

Fernando Alonso has expressed his excitement about working with the Brit, and the two-time champion has noticed key changes. Newey’s ‘genius’ has raised standards at Aston Martin as everyone is ‘on guard’ and does not want to make mistakes.

However, while optimism is high, it is clear the team have a long way to go before they can properly challenge at the front. The Silverstone outfit have only scored 22 points from the opening 10 races in 2025.

Newey found the simulator was ‘not very good’ after just one race in Monaco. While it is new, it highlights how steep the challenge is at Aston Martin to become title contenders.