► Adrian Newey to join Aston Martin F1 team
► Contract said to be worth £30 million a year
► Why he chose Milton Keynes over Maranello
Adrian Newey has joined Aston Martin as a managing technical partner and shareholder in a deal that’s reportedly worth around £30 million a year. The move was announced in a press conference at Aston Martin’s brand-new, state-of-the-art factory, but we could’ve easily been in Maranello, not Milton Keynes.
‘I was very flattered by the number of teams that did approach me,’ said Newey of the period after his Red Bull resignation. ‘I had discussions with some of those teams, but in the end, it became a very clear and natural choice.’ For the last few months, Ferrari was widely reported as being at the front of that list, with reports suggesting Newey would join Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to form a super team from 2025 onwards.
That makes Newey’s signature a huge statement of intent from Lawrence Stroll, but also something of a loss for the Scuderia. ‘Next to Ferrari, Aston Martin is the most iconic brand across the world,’ Newey admitted yesterday’s press conference. So, what made him pick green over red?
Why Newey went to Aston Martin
The reasons are complex, intertwined and only really known to the man himself and his wife Amanda – a key part in his decision making. Earlier this year, reports from Italy suggested that Ferrari didn’t’ want to get into a ‘bidding war’ with Stroll, but that appears to be something of a red herring. After all, Ferrari is no stranger to handing out huge contracts in its pursuit of championships. Just look at its most recent driver signing. Instead, comments from Newey at yesterday’s event painted a different picture.
Lawrence Stroll was present throughout the announcement, and it’s clear his personality – above his resources – was a key factor for Newey. ‘Lawrence’s passion, commitment and enthusiasm is very endearing – it’s very persuasive,’ said Newey at yesterday’s press conference. We’d agree. Stroll may have looked the epitome of a pinstriped, business mogul, but what he’s assembled in the last few years – and hours – proves he’s a racer. It also more evidence of his desire to make Aston a match for Ferrari, both on and off the track.
Newey and Stroll may have been in the spotlight, but a look in the audience revealed the true depth of the Aston Martin organisation in 2024. It can count ex-McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, and ex-Mercedes High Performance Powertrains wizard Andy Cowell in its ranks – as well as ex-Ferrari chief brand and commercial officer, Marco Mattiacci. Then there’s ex-Newey acolyte Dan Fallows in the design team; one of the people responsible for Aston’s strong start to 2022.
‘There’s been many pieces in the puzzle, from when we started six years ago, to our great management team we have today,’ Stroll said. ‘Adrian is key – the biggest part of the puzzle, certainly from a technical point of view, from a technical leadership point of view. He will be leading the team, and I think that will have a trickle-down effect to the whole organization.’
Did Aston’s technical might play a part?
Aston Martin’s impressive infrastructure will certainly have been a key reason for the signing. We look at the newly opened building two after the event, and it’s an extension of everything you’d expect from a modern F1 facility. It follows building one, opened officially in May of last year, and will be followed by building three in a matter of weeks.
Ferrari may well have excellent facilities, but Aston Martin’s are fresh, and have been built from the ground up for modern F1 – and they have the bonus (for Newey) of being in England, too. ‘It’s not an easy thing to do to build a brand-new factory and greenfield site and have it have a really nice, warm, creative feel to it,’ said Newey. ‘I’ve seen some new buildings that haven’t quite fulfilled that. But this one has a great feel, the portions are right. It has all the facilities.’
Outside the building Aston Martin can also count on Aramco and Honda, the latter with whom Newey has already won championships in the past. ‘There’s no better partnership in the world than what we have with the Aramco,’ said Stroll. ‘And to be able to bring Honda exclusively to work for us for the next five years after the [new] regulations start, where partners are also tremendously important’
Newey’s decision-making process will have also been influenced by the unique grasp Stroll holds over his team. Very new and businesslike on the surface, it also harks to the days of active team owners such as Frank Williams, Ron Dennis and Ken Tyrell – people Newey has worked for and against.
‘In this modern era, Lawrence is unique in being the only properly active team owner,’ said Newey later on at the event. ‘It’s a different feeling when you have somebody that’s involved like that. It’s back to the old-school model.’
Newey appears to answer questions transparently at the best of times (letting slip the inner workings of Red Bull and an aborted move from Alonso to the team) but here it felt like he was really getting to the heart of his decision.
Unlike Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, Stroll holds all the chips when it comes to Aston Martin – and has billions of dollars’ worth of skin in the game. That could be well one of the reasons why he was able to easily offer a shareholder option, something Newey said hasn’t been offered to him before.
‘I think one of the things that I always think is he has total belief,’ said Newey of the Aston owner. ‘He has a direction. He’s happy to put all his chips on the black. And that’s what he’s doing here.’
Can Newey win here?
When Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996, he created a template the sport’s most successful drivers have followed ever since; join a mid-table F1 outfit, build the team around you, and make sure you’re number one. Newey is doing something different; joining a newly-formed – but mid-table – powerhouse and sitting atop it as a final missing piece.
But Newey can’t bring new drivers with him in the way Schumacher brought technical bods. He’ll be working with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll – two seats that have become hugely coveted with a few strokes of a designer’s pen. And if Lance was under pressure before, he’ll be under even more scrutiny in a Newey-designed car. In the driver area, then, it’d be fair to say Ferrari has the stronger suit – though it’ll need to make a more consistent car than it has for the last five years.
Newey feels no external pressure to win – he says that comes from within – but he’ll be targeting 2026 and the new regulations rather than 2025. Ferrari will be well placed for the former, as well as other works teams such as Mercedes, but Aston’s exclusive relationship with Honda and the introduction of Newey will hold it in good stead.
‘It’ll be a case of getting myself up to speed as quickly as possible, and just as importantly, getting to know everybody here, learning how to work with everybody, and how we all get the best out of each other. That’s what it’s all about,’ said Newey.
‘Yes, of course they are an opportunity,’ he added of the 2026 rules. ‘They’ll be a reset for everybody. Whether we’ll be able to capitalize on that or not, we just don’t know.’