Adrian Newey to Aston Martin: Everything in a Nutshell

Last week, Adrian Newey, the current CTO of Red Bull Racing and probably the most sought after personality in the sport announced that he will be joining Aston Martin as their Managing Technical Partner from March 2025. The announcement has put a myriad of speculations and questions to rest after he announced his exit back in May this year.

We reported Newey’s exit at a time when all speculations made logical sense. However, despite talks with Ferrari, which seemed like a clear choice back then, Newey has bagged a £30m deal with Aston Martin. Talks with the Maranello-team fell apart after Newey’s demand to have the right to ‘veto’ the hiring of new engineers was blocked by team principal Fred Vasseur. Vasseur later admitted that he had a different vision for Newey in the team, which led to an impasse between the two parties. 

Why Aston Martin?

Newey joins as the Managing Technical Partner at Aston Martin. Apart from the obvious step-up in the title he holds, Newey will not just lead Aston Martin’s technical operation, overseeing the car’s development ahead of the 2026 regulations, but also become a shareholder within the team. 

In addition to it being a massive statement from the team, Newey will also have the opportunity to work with the company’s new equipment at its upgraded Silverstone facility. “I think what Lawrence and Martin (Whitmarsh, Aston Martin Group CEO) have built here – these facilities are just stunning – it’s not an easy thing to do to build a brand new factory in a greenfield site and have a really nice, warm, creative feel to it,” Newey said.

Newey, although a purist at heart, managed to bag a £30m deal with Aston Martin, making his pay higher than most drivers on the grid. However, for a person that is responsible for almost a fifth of all race wins in F1 history, Lawrence Stroll said it was a bargain. 

Read More: Adrian Newey Set to Part Ways From Red Bull – Details Here

“As soon as Adrian became available, we knew we had to make it happen. Our initial conversations confirmed that there was a shared desire to collaborate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Lawrence Stroll said. 

Newey’s move to Aston Martin also means that he will be reuniting with a few familiar faces. Dan Fallows, who spent 15 years at Red Bull stepped to the position of aerodynamics had switched to the team ahead of the 2022 season. However, it’s not just the faces but also Honda. The Japanese manufacturer will become the team’s engine supplier from the start of 2026, when the new regulations kick in. Alongside Newey, this duo has seen title-winning success which we could see again in the future. 

Finally, Fernando Alonso cannot be excluded from this list of reasons. Newey has been most opportune to work with some of the most popular names in the sport including Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Vileneuve, Mika Hakkinen, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen who have won championships. However, speaking on Beyond the Grid podcast last year, Newey had vocalised about his regrets of not working with two drivers across his career in F1. One was Hamilton and the other, Alonso. With this move, we expect Newey to scratch that itch. 

Is Max Verstappen Next on Aston Martin’s Shopping List?

Newey’s statement about Stroll’s involvement with the team cannot be taken lightly. We know the man has been working relentlessly in making the team an attractive option for the brightest and best. The earliest evidence would be poaching Dan Fallows from Red Bull just after the start of the current ground effect regulations. 

Two decades ago, Red Bull stole the headlines after the team managed to convince Newey to leave the established teams that he had called home for so long. At the time, Red Bull was an up and coming team which soon proved with wins and later even titles. Aston Martin finds itself in the same position now. 

While the driver lineup has been locked in for the near future, it needs to be assessed further. Fernando Alonso will turn 46 in 2026 and this does pose some crucial questions about his performance against the younger drivers on the grid.

Lance Stroll, on the other hand, may be a solid midfield performer and the gap between him and his teammate is narrower this year than last year. But against racers like Verstappen and Leclerc, his lack of genius on the track makes it difficult for him to come out on top. 

Vettel and Alonso might have moved to Aston Martin while looking for a cushy place to retire. However, Aston Martin is now looking stronger than ever. Combine this with the turbulent management at Red Bull now and we might get an interesting ‘what if’. The cold war between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner is now a public affair. While the two parties seems to have come to an interim peace, the connection is not as unshakeable as it once was. 

Verstappen has been vocal about his future, stating he might ponder over continuing in the sport once he sees how the new regulations play out. We have seen leading drivers in the sport always have caveats in their contracts linking the car’s performance. No prizes for guessing even Verstappen would have something similar in his contract, if the team fails to deliver a good car. 

But among the several what ifs, Verstappen’s potential exit means that Aston Martin will be the right choice. With Alonso’s future not being certain, the only other argument is Lawrence replacing his own son with Verstappen. If that happens, we will surely be in the front seat to see how two alpha drivers like Verstappen and Alonso might play out in the field.