‘There’s nobody quite like him in F1’: Legendary designer Adrian Newey joins Aston Martin after 19 years with Red Bull
Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso (left) and Lance Stroll (right) with Adrian Newey (center left)
By Jamie Barton and Amanda Davies, CNN
(CNN) — Aston Martin has won the race to sign Adrian Newey, widely regarded as the greatest Formula One designer of all time.
The 65-year-old has signed a long-term contract with the British team and will join as Managing Technical Partner in March 2025 after nearly 20 years with Red Bull. The deal represents a statement of intent from Aston Martin executive chairman and part-owner Lawrence Stroll.
“I felt as if I needed a new challenge,” Newey said in a press conference at the Aston Martin factory in Silverstone. “I was very flattered to have a lot of approaches from various teams, but Lawrence’s passion, commitment and enthusiasm was very endearing, very persuasive.
“In this modern era, Lawrence is actually unique in being the only properly active team owner,” he continued. “It’s a different feeling when you have somebody like Lawrence involved like that. It’s back to the old-school model.”
Across stints with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, Newey has heavily contributed to 12 drivers’ and 13 constructors’ championships, overseeing periods of dominance for the likes of Mika Häkkinen, Sebastian Vettel and, most recently, Max Verstappen.
In particular, the designer has proved himself a master at capitalizing on changes in regulations – likely a key factor in Stroll’s decision to bring him in ahead of new F1 rules debuting in 2026.
“It’s a great day for Aston Martin,” Stroll told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies. “Everybody wants Adrian. There’s nobody quite like him in the sport, based on all his successes.
“I think when Adrian saw my passion, my commitment, our intent as a company, he believed, ‘You guys will be the next.’ And he believed he could bring some very significant added value on being part of bringing us to those World Championships that we’re looking forward to.”
The F1 outfit will be hoping for a significant upturn in form upon Newey’s arrival. The team currently sits fifth in the constructors’ championship standings, having failed to achieve a podium finish so far this season.
Neither of Aston Martin’s drivers have made it onto the podium yet this year, with Fernando Alonso currently 10th in the driver standings and Lance Stroll, the son of the team’s part-owner Lawrence, 11th.
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