Although Adrian Newey’s official mandate at Aston Martin is the all-new 2026 F1 car, team boss Andy Cowell is convinced his impact will be felt in the “opening days” after his arrival.

Newey will officially occupy a drawing board at Aston Martin’s Silverstone headquarters on March 3rd, the design legend joining the team just months after his final Red Bull creation, the RB20, won the 2024 Drivers’ title.

‘Human creativity is hard to quantify, isn’t it?’

The success marked Newey’s 26th championship title with the Briton’s cars having won 14 Drivers’ titles and 12 Constructors’.

Next month he faces a new challenge, not only in designing the first car for the all-new technical era that begins in 2026, but in helping Aston Martin achieve the goal of becoming F1 race winners and title contenders.

Although Newey’s mandate is largely focused on that 2026 car, the 66-year-old will undoubtedly have some insights to impart regarding the team’s newly launched AMR25.

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Aston Martin took the covers off their F1 2025 car during an online launch on Sunday evening, revealing a car that has undergone a total redesign from its predecessor.

Enthusing over Newey’s “just brilliant” arrival at Aston Martin, team principal Cowell said: “He’s one of the few engineers that can bridge across aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and the data logger that is the driver.

“He can communicate well with the driver and pull out the comments that the telemetry perhaps isn’t showing and can bring that back into the factory on campus and help us chase the thing that will deliver the best lap time improvement.

“I think we’ll feel the benefit of him in the opening days.

“I’m sure he’s frustrated with not working on a Formula 1 car at the moment, especially as there are new regulations out.

“And I’m sure he will be coming up with observations pertinent to the car concept, and also in terms of the tools, in terms of the fidelity of our tools and equipment, and his thoughts on where we should make improvements.”

One of the many tools Aston Martin and their rivals are using more widely these days is artificial intelligence.

But while there have been huge strides forward in AI, Cowell insists it is no substitute for the “human creativity” that comes from someone like Newey.

“Human creativity is hard to quantify, isn’t it?” he said when asked about Newey’s ‘magic’. “There’s the threat of AI coming in and taking over from human creativity, but I think AI is a tool that helps human creativity.

“So I think individuals like Adrian, he’s got a broad perspective and the determination to chase down beliefs in performance, and I believe that’s what he will add.”

Aston Martin’s F1 2025 drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll put the AMR25 through its paces during a filming day on Sunday, showing off a car that has undergone extensive changes.

From a new front wing described by the team as a “significant evolution” to redesigned sidepods referred to as “the most striking change visually compared”, the AMR25 also has a redesigned floor to work with the bodywork, plus new brake ducts front and rear.

Pre-season testing begins on Wednesday at the Bahrain International Circuit and will conclude on Friday.

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