Aston Martin has confirmed the signing of Adrian Newey, ending months of speculation about the future of the legendary designer.
Newey will join the team as managing technical partner, but also a shareholder as well – a first for him in his almost-40-year F1 career, which has also included championship-winning stints with Williams and McLaren in the 1990s and 2000s.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team,” said Newey. “I have been hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and commitment that Lawrence brings to everything he is involved with. Lawrence is determined to create a world-beating team. He is the only majority team owner who is actively engaged in the sport.
“His commitment is demonstrated in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus and wind tunnel at Silverstone, which are not only state of the art but have a layout that creates a great environment to work in.
“Together with great partners like Honda and Aramco, they have all the key pieces of infrastructure needed to make Aston Martin a world championship-winning team and I am very much looking forward to helping reach that goal.”
Newey’s signing is the latest statement of intent by the team led by Lawrence Stroll, which moved into a new factory last season, is currently building a new wind tunnel and has signed a factory engine deal with Honda which will begin in 2026. Aston Martin also signed Newey’s former Red Bull colleague Dan Fallows as technical director and former Mercedes engine at the start of 2022 and Andy Cowell as Group CEO earlier this year.
“This is huge news. Adrian is the best in the world at what he does – he is at the top of his game – and I am incredibly proud that he is joining Aston Martin,” said Stroll. “It’s the biggest story since the Aston Martin name returned to the sport and another demonstration 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.”
Stroll said that he made the move to sign Newey after his exit from Red Bull was publicly announced in April.
“Our initial conversations confirmed that there was a shared desire to collaborate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I have ever met.
“When he saw what we have built at Silverstone – our incredible AMR Technology Campus, the talented group of people we have assembled and the latest wind tunnel in the sport – he quickly understood what we are trying to achieve.
“We mean business – and so does he. Adrian shares our hunger and ambition, he believes in this project, and he will help us write the next chapter in Aston Martin’s Formula 1 story.”
Newey-designed cars have won 12 Constructors’ titles and 13 Drivers’ titles since 1992 for Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull, with Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villenueve, Mika Hakkinen, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen among the drivers that have taken his cars to the championship.
And while the move to Aston Martin represents a fresh challenge for him in F1, it isn’t a totally new relationship, with Newey having heavy involvement in the company’s Valkyrie hypercar project when it was aligned with Red Bull.