Design genius Adrian Newey will oversee the 2026 car project while also becoming a shareholder in the Aston Martin Formula 1 team.
Aston Martin Racing has officially won the battle for Adrian Newey, and the legendary Formula 1 designer will take on the role of Executive Technical Partner next year, while also becoming a shareholder.
In a newly created role at the Silverstone-based team, Newey will lead the ambitious team’s crucial car design for the brand-new 2026 technical regulations in Formula 1.
Newey’s signature came after announcing his departure from Red Bull prior to the Miami Grand Prix in May, following power struggles behind the scenes within the world champion team. Many teams had eagerly pursued him. Initially, Newey had indicated a break from F1 while completing the RB17 Hypercar project for Red Bull, but he negotiated an early exit from his contract, allowing him to join a rival team from March 2025.
It was long thought that Ferrari was leading the race to secure Newey’s services as a consultant, with Newey admitting he wanted to work with Lewis Hamilton, who will join Ferrari in 2025. However, the 65-year-old has opted for a different path, choosing to team up with world champion Fernando Alonso.
On Tuesday, Aston Martin announced that Newey will join the technical team on March 1, 2025, working alongside other stars such as technical director Dan Fallows and Ferrari’s new recruit Enrico Cardile.
Speaking about his decision, Newey said that Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll’s ambitious plans to push the team to the front of the F1 grid, including a brand-new campus and a state-of-the-art wind tunnel, convinced him to join the team.
Newey said, “I am incredibly excited to be joining the Aston Martin Formula 1 team.”
“I’ve been deeply inspired and impressed by Lawrence’s passion and commitment to everything he’s involved in.”
“Lawrence is determined to build a world-class team. This determination is evident in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus in Silverstone, which is state-of-the-art and creates a great working environment.”
“With fantastic partners like Honda and Aramco, they have all the key infrastructure in place to make Aston Martin a championship-winning team, and I look forward to helping achieve that goal.”
Stroll described the hiring of Newey as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for his team and a statement of intent for what they aim to achieve.
“Adrian is the best in the world at what he does, and I’m incredibly proud to have him join the Aston Martin Formula 1 team.”
“This is another sign of our ambition to build a Formula 1 team capable of fighting for world championships. As soon as Adrian became available, we knew we had to make it happen.”
“Our initial conversations confirmed a mutual desire to collaborate on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met.”
