Aston Martin co-owner and executive chairman Lawrence Stroll says he hopes to secure Adrian Newey’s services and is “very excited” by the prospect, as he has been chasing the legendary designer for a number of years.
Newey (pictured above) announced his plans to depart from Red Bull after nearly two decades earlier this year, with the 65-year-old then taking some time off to evaluate his next move. He has been linked with a number of Formula 1 teams since news of his availability broke, but the most likely destinations were believed to be Aston Martin and Ferrari, and Stroll told the Bloomberg news agency he believes a deal is close.
“I certainly hope so,” Stroll said when asked if Newey would be joining Aston Martin. “Adrian and I have been talking not only for months but actually for years.
“Adrian is clearly the most talented and gifted individual in Formula 1 based on his track record and history, in addition to being a hell of a gentleman. So I’d be very excited for Adrian to join our team, as I think every other Formula 1 team on the grid would feel exactly the same.”
When it was put to Stroll that he has been pulling out all of the stops to secure Newey, the Aston Martin owner added: “You can definitely assume that.”
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Newey’s arrival at Aston Martin could be announced as early as next week, with Aston Martin having scheduled a press conference at its headquarters on Tuesday ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Red Bull chief technical officer is due to continue working with his current team until the end of this season, leaving his position in the first quarter of 2025 but maintaining links through his RB17 road car project that was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this summer.
Aston Martin is currently fifth in the F1 constructors’ championship with 74 points, 40 clear of RB in sixth but over 200 points adrift of Mercedes in fourth, and has secured just one top-five finish all season.
On Tuesday the team announced what it described as “a significant milestone in its preparation for the new 2026 F1 regulations” in the form of a technical collaboration agreement signed Aston Martin and its key partners Aramco, Honda and Valvoline. The team says the collaboration “aims to leverage each of the world-class partners’ expertise and technology to create the best possible opportunities” from the start of the new F1 regulations in 2026.