Adrian Newey is making his first paddock appearance with Aston Martin at the Monaco Grand Prix, and plenty of drivers who have worked with him have taken this opportunity to share their experiences.

One is former Red Bull Racing driver Daniil Kvyat, who praised the “legendary” Newey despite “moments of tension.”

Daniil Kvyat details Adrian Newey battles

The F1 2024 season was a fiery one for the rumour mill, and no one fuelled it more than Adrian Newey.

The legendary motorsport designer had been plying his trade with Red Bull Racing for almost two decades, helping craft the machines that powered the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen to dominant World Championships.

But Newey announced he’d be leaving the team last year, with ample speculation swirling about faltering relationships and intra-team frustrations.

Soon, his name was linked with just about every team in the paddock before the announcement came that he’d be moving to Aston Martin in 2025.

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Russian racer Daniil Kvyat was one of the drivers who competed with Red Bull Racing during Adrian Newey’s tenure. He was there for the full 2015 season and was entered in four more in 2016 before being dropped back down to Toro Rosso, where he’d gotten his start in 2013.

It wasn’t an easy time for Kvyat; after he collided with teammate Sebastian Vettel, the driver was demoted and Max Verstappen was signed as his replacement at the top-level team.

But while Kvyat was dealing with his own frustrations, Adrian Newey was getting into “high-tension” conversations with others, Kvyat has revealed on the F1 Nation Podcast.

“I can say it was great to share the team with such a legendary person,” Kvyat said of Newey.

“Of course, we happened to work together in a very tough time for Red Bull Racing and I think I saw a lot of moments of tension at that time.

“The problems with the engine, they were quite big at the time. I saw a lot of conversations, quite high-tension conversations.

“But then again, after the initial shock, let’s say after a few races, then the hard work started again and you could see Adrian, he gained his interest back and he really was focusing.

“[He was] talking to drivers, having meetings with us, asking a lot of very precise questions, writing it down.

“And then he always comes back, like a little puzzle with a new front wing, maybe a little winglet here and there and the car just started to be more and more alive.

“But let’s say when it became more alive again, I wasn’t there anymore!”

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