Aston Martin has pulled off a massive coup by securing the services of Formula 1’s most highly-rated designer, Adrian Newey.
The 65-year-old confirmed in May he had agreed to leave Red Bull at the beginning of next year. Ferrari was understood to be among the teams vying for his services.However Newey has turned down the opportunity to form a ‘super-team’ at the Scuderia with seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Aston Martin CEO Lawrence Stroll called the announcement “the most exciting news in Aston Martin’s history.” Newey has joined as a shareholder and their technical managing partner.
“Adrian arguably is the greatest in the world at what he does,” said Stroll. “Nobody has come close to winning as many world championships. He’s a gentleman, he’s a winner, he’s a competitor and he has the passion and desire to win.”
With Stroll’s investment, the team has built a state-of-the-art new factory at its Silverstone base. It moved into the facility last year and are constructing a new wind tunnel and driver-in-the-loop simulator.
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Newey will arrive at the team in time to give his input into their new car for the 2026 season, when new regulations for power units and chassis will be introduced. Conceptualising designs for new regulations has been a major strength of Newey’s in the past.
At Aston Martin, Newey will be reunited with several former Red Bull staff, including its technical director Dan Fallows who joined the team in early 2022. Aston Martin has recruited several top names from rival teams including Ferrari’s former technical director of chassis and aerodynamics, Enrico Cardile, who is due to join them next year.
Newey has spent the last 18 years at Red Bull. Prior to that he worked for McLaren, Williams and Leyton House. He spent a brief spell at the Fittipaldi F1 team in the early eighties before spending much of the decade with March, working on their IndyCars.
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Kribana (@krichelle)
10th September 2024, 11:23
Stroll might not be a competitive driver, but his dad just knows how to make use of the money. It will be a shame if they do not get anything good out of their investments.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
10th September 2024, 11:26
Shareholder is interesting. Is that photo released today? Is it not a bit unusual to have him standing in front of Aston Martin when he’s still technically at Red Bull? I guess who’s going to say ‘no’.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
10th September 2024, 11:34
Yes, a few minutes ago.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
10th September 2024, 11:39
Presumably he just says ‘won’t be in Tuesday morning’, I’ve just got to nip to Silverstone’.
Marky (@marky)
10th September 2024, 11:41
I’m guessing he had annual leave to use up.
Tristan
10th September 2024, 12:08
Who says he’s technically at Red Bull? Sounds pretty clear to me he wanted to leave as soon as possible after certain things happened which people still just pretend didn’t happen.
chimaera2003 (@chimaera2003)
10th September 2024, 12:17
He is still working on the RB17 hypercar project and is still an employee. Even if he wasn’t working on the hypercar project and was on gardening leave, he would still be paid a salary by RBR and would be bound by his employment contract.
Tristan
10th September 2024, 12:19
Yet here he is, wearing an Aston Martin pin and standing in front of a green car.
chimaera2003 (@chimaera2003)
10th September 2024, 12:29
Could have easily got RBR permission to do that on a day of annual leave. Would have been incredibly churlish of RBR based on what he delivered to them to prevent him doing that photo-op especially as the news is now officially in the public domain.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 22:15
He was contractually allowed to announce who he was going to on Sept. 1st. A fact media has oft ignored to make it seem as if his announcement could come any day.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
10th September 2024, 11:33
Now they need a championship winning driver. Alonso is too old to win a WDC, this year is far away from his best times. Meanwhile Stroll Jnr. is not a WDC material, and no car will help him become one. Let’s see if Stroll Snr. is willing to put a really potent driver in at least one of the seats.
David Hunt
10th September 2024, 11:37
Fernando is certainly not too old to win a WDC. It’ll happen. I’m confident.
An Sionnach
10th September 2024, 11:43
I’d wager Alonso is more than capable if he gets the right car. If he’s got something of the magnitude of the Mercedes or Red Bulls of the past, or the McLaren at the very present he will have a good chance against any team mate… except Max.
An Sionnach
10th September 2024, 11:47
Max must be on Stroll’s shopping list? He may not even have to pay that much if Honda is also determined to have him?
moi
10th September 2024, 11:52
Except that Max would utterly demolish Lance…. and not be as diplomatic about it as Alonso has been.
Not sure if Lawrence would like that tbh.
An Sionnach
10th September 2024, 12:29
Good point. I was thinking of Alonso versus Max, but I suppose Lance might be even less likely to move on now that a race-winning car may be possible within the next few years. It may take time and Alonso may find he’s there to develop the car; and that he has retired before they produce a successful one.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 7:57
Ahah, moi, this makes me think of verstappen’s comment on albon.
“So max, what do you think of your team mate lance’s job so far this season?”
“I mean, if he’s happy with a handful of points finishes in a car I won 10 races with, who am I to complain?”
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 12:03
lol, he was only the best driver beside Max in 2023, but he can’t even win a WDC in a dominant car anymore? He’s had two P3 qualis this season in a bag of shyt car. Yes, he’s not at his peak, but besides Max, who does he have to worry about? Lando? Don’t make me laugh. Leclerc? Just a more likable Lando. Only Lewis aside from Max if he gets an amazing car and Ferrari will f it up.
An Sionnach
10th September 2024, 12:39
If Max ends up in the wilderness for a year or two, anything could happen. Lewis and Alonso again? I would expect them to be more clinical than Lando. I think Leclerc may surprise us. We’ll have to see how he does against Lewis. A lot of the top drivers today are at a stage where they need to push on and show what they’re made of. I don’t know what they will do. We’ve seen flashes of something from George, Lando has tried to assert himself more, Piastri will take no prisoners, Sainz can surprise us now and then (but is headed for the Williamsderness). Leclerc has shown a number of times that he can drive a very good race and George showed this in Belgium. That had been the main weakness of these qualifiers – they would get swallowed up in the race. It will be interesting to see if Piastri can drive a good race on more technical circuits. I think Lando is the more all-round driver here. Perhaps his biggest problem is his self criticism. He’s got qualifying and race pace. Just go and do it.
Broderick Harper (@banbrorace)
10th September 2024, 17:07
Correct.
Good as all of these are that you’ve mentioned – I simply don’t think that they are in the same league as ‘Sunday’ Fernando, Lewis or Max.
That doesn’t mean to say they are all weaker at everything. I think qualifying wise, we have a group who are on par with each other. It’s the confident / arrogant race craft that the three masters generally have and when they have a car that’s good enough, they elevate themselves to their ‘Sunday Tiger’ status.
An Sionnach
10th September 2024, 19:59
It would be good to see the three of them in competitive cars. Maybe give Max more of a handicap. I think Lewis and Alonso are harder to quantify, with Lewis having more pure pace and Alonso smarter, better at defending and at racecraft in general – the kind of thing you don’t need any more!
SteveP
10th September 2024, 18:52
Given the numbers in the WDC for 2023 show him in 4th place, behind the two RBR drivers and Lewis Hamilton (Lewis driving what most people labelled an absolute dog of a car) I think we might assess that your opinion is slightly divorced from reality on that one.
He might well take his 3rd WDC, if the car is dominant enough, but who knows which team will get the 2026 regs bang on, and dominate that season?
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 19:55
By that flawless logic, Perez was the second best driver on the grid in 2023. I didn’t hear anyone ranking Hamilton’s 2023 above Alonso’s. It seems you can’t be objective when it comes to Lewis.
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
11th September 2024, 0:17
I can’t speak for others, but I did not ‘read into’ that comment any suggestion that Perez was second best. Only that the dominant car and Lewis were in front of Fernando.
SteveP
11th September 2024, 7:57
Accurate summary.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 8:02
He said his opinion was divorced from reality, meaning he was implying that somehow hamilton and perez did a better job than alonso; the latter is a ridiculous implication, and hamilton generally had a better car across the season.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
10th September 2024, 18:57
Based on this year’s performance, I’d say Alonso was quite clumsy at times and he barely beat his team mate, which is Stroll Jnr. Newey’s effect will kick in no earlier than 2026. Alonso will be 45 then. Will he have these same qualities, which are declining every year. I’d love to see him perform as good as ever in 2026, but I highly doubt that.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 20:03
If you want a look at clumsy, look at Lando, Leclerc, Lewis, George and so on. All of them have had multiple “clumsy” moments in far better cars. And “barely beat his teammate”? He’s more than doubled his points and is still up 11-5 in quali battle despite AM ruining multiple quali runs of his while not doing the same for Lance. So, not sure you’re at all objective here or even the least bit earnest in your “I’d love to see him do well.” Sounds like you’d love to see him fail.
ollie studio45
10th September 2024, 12:10
in a good car alo would still beat most drivers on the grid, that much is clear
sumedh
10th September 2024, 13:28
Stroll Snr. has made Newey stand in front of car#18 (not car#14) for the pic. That clearly shows what his priorities are.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 8:06
Yes, that’s no surprise, however unless the car is dominant across the season, it’s not gonna be enough for stroll to beat someone like verstappen on the 2nd best car, and I still wonder how he’s gonna beat alonso.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 8:07
In fact, if the cars are all quite close he could lose to the 4th best car; verstappen on the 2nd best car could challenge stroll in a dominant car.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
10th September 2024, 11:34
Eddie’s finally brought him to Jordan.
sumedh
10th September 2024, 11:34
Haha! Good one. Worthy COTD
An Sionnach
10th September 2024, 11:39
Yeah, good one!
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 12:03
Boom. Full circle.
sumedh
10th September 2024, 11:34
I remember Newey left Williams because he was denied ownership of the team.
Guess Stroll gave that right carrot to Newey to lure him. Ferrari, obviously must not have given ownership / shareholding.
Deerhunter
10th September 2024, 11:35
It’s one heck of a longshot, but can you imagine the furor it would cause if Alonso were to finally grab a long-awaited third title at the age of 45 in his final season before retiring?
An Sionnach
10th September 2024, 12:59
Would he retire then? He might want more? Or, to move on to other disciplines. I can’t imagine Alonso never racing. Like an elephant, when the time comes, he may just get into his car and race himself until the very end.
Alesici
10th September 2024, 15:35
The current record for most years between championships is Niki Lauda’s 7 (including a lengthy retirement), from 1977 to 1984. If Alonso manages to triple that record, it will be one of the greatest feats in the history of sport! Let’s go!
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 8:10
Tripling would require 2027, and as far as things look, the best chance seems to be 2026, but it’d indeed be a massive record extension, I wasn’t aware no one had been able to win a championship 8 years or more after previous.
GeeMac (@geemac)
10th September 2024, 11:35
There are an awful lot of senior, big-name engineers at Aston Martin now. I wonder where they will all fit in.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
10th September 2024, 12:10
@geemac Mercedes did a similar hiring spree in the years preceding 2014. I believe at one point they had snapped up something like 6 or 7 former technical directors from other teams. If the people in control have the right approach to the structure and organisation of the company, they will find the right roles to put them in to get the most out of them.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 20:04
They’ll fall in line or get booted.
Mayrton
10th September 2024, 12:03
Great news! Provided Newey will deliver ofc.
Tristan
10th September 2024, 12:32
This is awesome. I really admire Stroll’s ability to get Aston Martin to where he has, and glad Newey can now join such a prestigious brand. It’s really smart too, the way he entered F1, even though I’m not a fan of it being possible to give your son a seat like that.
I really hope they have success now with Newey to really cement the Aston Martin F1 team as a permanent fixture on the grid. But at the same time if it’s with Lance… I don’t want to think about it.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
10th September 2024, 20:26
Yeah it’s amazing what only a few billion in the bank can do!
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 8:12
Yes, but can they actually win you a championship? Stroll would need a massive car advantage over verstappen and the other big guns, he’s not winning with a vettel-era red bull for example.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
10th September 2024, 12:36
Interesting times indeed. Alonso has had a good car before though and still not won the Championship. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.
It would be fun to finally see Alonso back in really competitive car. He’s still one of
the best. But we must not get carried away. Time is running out for him. AM will need to get the new rules right first time pretty much.
Gubstar
10th September 2024, 12:52
I would say the only time Fernando has had a great car and not won the championship was 2007. and that was only by a single point. I agree time is running out, but dont bet against him
An Sionnach
10th September 2024, 13:05
If he can be still here and still competitive in five years time, he might have a good chance of getting that car. The clock is ticking, though. It might have to happen in 2026 or for a younger driver a few years after that.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 20:07
Five years? If he needs to wait five years, it’s not happening for him. Not sure how you get five years though.
An Sionnach
11th September 2024, 0:29
I pulled it out of the air. I’m hoping for a competitive car for Alonso as early as this weekend, though! It’s a shame to see a driver like him in the shadows this long. If I’ve got advice for him it’s to look at how Schumacher took so much on his shoulders when they were building at Ferrari. If someone made a mistake he covered for them on occasion. That’s what can help build the trust you need to get everyone motivated.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 8:27
Agree, I’d say alonso never had a dominant car, 2005 was overall the best car cause mclaren’s reliability was terrible, 2006 was on balance similar to ferrari, 2007 was similar to ferrari, making 2007 the only year he had a good car and didn’t win, and the 2010 and 2012 ferraris had no business competing with red bull, they only did because alonso was better than vettel, sort of like schumacher challenging hakkinen in 1998 or villeneuve in 1997.
Mr B
10th September 2024, 16:34
If Honda get the engine right and Newey and his team can work some similar magic to the last regulations change then AM should be in the mix for 2026 season. By all accounts the infrastructure is pretty much in place at the new AM factory and with a superior wind tunnel to that currently used by Red Bull.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 20:06
Like when? In 2010 and 2012 he frequently didn’t even have the 3rd or even 4th best car on the grid. But this lines up with other comments you’ve made on Alonso. In 2010, Lewis for example, had a far better car than Alonso.
Mathias
10th September 2024, 12:44
all will be vainquished
David BR (@david-br)
10th September 2024, 19:04
vanity-quished? I like it, all will be squashed by the sheer immensity of Stroll’s vanity project :)
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 20:08
Sting’s that Lewis didn’t get Newey, huh?
David BR (@david-br)
10th September 2024, 21:39
Oh come on, it was quite a nice wry joke.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 22:17
I was talking about Sting. You need to stop at the red light!
Martin (@f1hornet)
10th September 2024, 13:23
It’s really amazing how long he’s been at Red Bull, and surprising no one has been able to prise him away before now. I still associate him in my mind with those 90’s Williams cars and those McLarens from the turn of the millennium, so to think he’s been at Red Bull for 18 years blows my mind. I guess I’m just old!
Mr B
10th September 2024, 16:29
I think keeping him at Red Bull for that long was a remarkable achievement.
Whilst you could argue that Newey is some kind of ‘aerodynamics geek’ he appears to be a fun loving adventurous kind of guy and I think Red Bull was the perfect place at the time for that kind of person.
SteveP
10th September 2024, 19:15
Upsides and downsides I suppose. Then “Horny Spice” overfilled the downside of the scales.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 20:11
Jos and Helmut are clearly the main culprit. They tried to use a silly harassment suit to dislodge Horner and it backfired spectacularly. Though, because karma doesn’t exist, it backfired the least for Jos who wants Max to go to Mercedes and looks like he’ll get his wish sooner rather than later.
MichaelN
10th September 2024, 21:13
Culprit of what? All Jos Verstappen, who is not a very bright guy, ever said is that he wants the team to have 100% focus on winning titles, not be distracted by the latest extra-marital affair of Christian Horner.
Jos’ is a “problem bad, problem must go” type of guy. Yet some, for whatever reason, paint him as some kind of plans within plans type of genius who’s trying to play corporate politics on a global stage. Not this Jos.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 22:19
The culprit of leaking material with Marko and loudly calling for Horner’s resignation. It’s likely this woman wouldn’t even have pursued her case or pursued it in the loudest manner possible if it weren’t for Jos and Helmut.
Jere (@jerejj)
10th September 2024, 14:22
Finally
Simon
10th September 2024, 21:28
Not “as (I) expected”???
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 22:19
Are you in love with Jere, Simon?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 8:18
Mmmm (just meant as a joke ofc, going along with what you said), if that’s true he got turned down it’d explain the constant complaints I see!
PeteB (@peteb)
10th September 2024, 15:43
As a fan of the technical side of F1, I’m as much of a Newey fan as I am a fan of a team or driver… It’ll be fascinating to see if he can get Aston Martin fighting for wins and Championships and if so, how soon.
If Aston Martin are genuine contenders for the Championship in 2026, I think there’s an argument for Newey being considered the MVP of all time in F1…. The world’s best driver can’t win a title in a midfield car but a midfield driver can win a title in one of Newey’s cars.
AlanD
10th September 2024, 16:37
Pete: “The world’s best driver can’t win a title in a midfield car but a midfield driver can win a title in one of Newey’s cars.”
I’d agree that to win the WDC you need a top-running car, but I’m not so sure that a mid-field driver could win the WDC. In the past it has certainly happened, I agree. I don’t think anyone really thought of Button as WDC material until he had a car which was two seconds faster than the rest, and once the other cars caught up with the tech loophole that the Brawn exploited, he very nearly blew it. Eddie Irvine came close in the Ferrari, but only because Schumacher broke a leg mid-season. I suppose Perez and Bottas might have won WDCs if their team mates had runs of really bad luck.
SteveP
10th September 2024, 19:23
It worked for Rosberg though, and if Max hadn’t been in RBR then logically Perez would have been higher than 2nd, or is the logic flawed and Lewis notches up another? Anyone done a race stats without MV for 2023?
AlanD
10th September 2024, 22:18
“It worked for Rosberg though”
Which one? I presume you mean Nico, though his father must hold the record for winning the WDC with fewest race wins. I think Keke won just two races in total, one race in his WDC year, plus one the following year. Nico had crossed my mind as being the other most surprising WDC in recent years, but to be honest, I didn’t mention him because I thought people would leap in with tirades about him beating Hamilton etc.
My thinking about Perez is that if RB didn’t have Max, they’d have recruited one of the other top drivers. I don’t think you’d have a world beating car and rely on Perez or another midfield driver to bring home the championship. If you look at last season, when the Red Bull was the most dominant imaginable, the first four races were a Red Bull fest, but in the remaining 18 races, there were only two where they finished 1-2, so in sixteen of those races, non-RB cars were beating Perez.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 20:14
Exactly. It’s why Newey deserves a bigger salary than any driver on the grid. Even when his cars haven’t been winning the WDC, he’s usually still either had the fastest chassis on the grid with poor reliability or a poor engine being the weak link. Over the past 34 years, 75% of the time, a Newey chassis has been the best on the grid.
ben
10th September 2024, 16:36
All that money and effort just to give his mediocre son a better car. Sad.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 22:20
Translation: Lewis should have him!
MichaelN
10th September 2024, 17:34
Good for them. As much as I don’t particularly care for this outfit, it’s undeniable that Stroll is doing what so many others haven’t done: make serious investments and hire high-profile people.
Now, I’ve noted before that I get a bit of a ‘last gen’ vibe from some of those hires, but however one sees the influence Newey still has/had on the latest Red Bull cars, he’s one of the greats in F1 history. If nothing else, seeing him work will elevate the work of others.
David BR (@david-br)
10th September 2024, 19:11
Sigh. Disappointed that it’s such huge money involved, kind of removes any romance to the move. Can Newey deliver Fernando his third-championship-winning car? Is FA up to the task still? How much feedback is Newey expecting from Lance? Will Red Bull implode and Max end up at Mercedes? Will Lewis fall into a spiral of despair at a Newey-less Ferrari? Guess we should all stay tuned.
If only they’d make the cars smaller and lighter, it could almost be exciting.
SteveP
10th September 2024, 19:30
I’d love to see a report of the weight proportions for PU, crash structures, chassis, suspension etc.
Crash structure crumple zone minimum sizes etc.
Then you find out whether it was even remotely possible to make the cars smaller or lighter. It’s possible everyone asking for smaller or lighter is actually asking for “potential deathtrap”
David BR (@david-br)
10th September 2024, 19:55
Well, the drivers are among those wishing they were smaller and lighter. I’d be happy to see an impartial report too.
Nick T.
10th September 2024, 20:16
Well, he deserves those sums more than Max, Lewis or Alonso combined. So, I’m happy to see a top designer/engineer’s true value (way more than that of any driver) be recognized. But, yes the presence of Lance, leaves a taint in the mouth.
baasbas
10th September 2024, 19:20
Oh dear.. what if.. Stroll jr WDC
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
11th September 2024, 8:23
Webber ended up 6th in cars vettel won the title with, and he wasn’t as bad as stroll, I would say, so I think it’s a very long shot to assume he will win a title.