There are not only top drivers at the center of market negotiations. Adrian Newey holds court like the most coveted drivers, he is an object of desire like Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton, and according to increasingly insistent rumours, the economic proposals received by the sixty-five-year-old British engineer are getting closer and closer to those of the leading guides.
The latest offer received by the current technical director of Red Bull comes from Aston Martin. It's not the first time that Lawrence Stroll breaks the deadlock, on other occasions the owner of the Silverstone team had put a very inviting proposal on the table without however managing to convince Newey to change his tune.
Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team owner
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
The proposal was formulated during the Jeddah weekend. An apparently casual meeting between Newey and Stroll (they were staying in the same hotel) and the promise of an appointment to discuss everything further. Adrian is used to receiving great offers, but in the last twenty years no one has been able to lure him away from Milton Keynes. Stability, a winning period, great autonomy and adequate remuneration have always made him desist from multi-million dollar temptations.
Today, however, there are some variables that could have changed the scenario, and hence the possibility that Newey could also make different decisions than in the past. The earthquake that overwhelmed Red Bull will require a period of adjustment, and it is not certain that the team structure (as well as the power map) will not undergo significant changes.
If there are changes Newey will evaluate how much his habitat may be affected, in the absence of shocks the prospect of ending his career in Red Bull is realistically the most probable, vice versa the idea of getting back into the game by moving only 30 kilometers (the distance between the Red Bull headquarters in Milton Keynes and the Aston Martin headquarters in Silverstone) represents the most interesting opportunity.
Newey could be attracted by Honda's arrival at Aston Martin from 2026
Photo credit: Motorsport.com / Japan
There is also another aspect brought to the table by Stroll. In 2026 the Silverstone team will become the official Honda team, a partner that Newey knows very well and has never made a secret of appreciating. On paper, the Japanese company's supply offers more guarantees than Red Bull's 'powertrain' project, although the planning of the new engine designed and built in Milton Keynes started with the right timing and a strong recruitment campaign for specialized personnel.
At sixty-five it is also time for Newey to evaluate what could be the last great challenge, namely the generation of single-seaters that will take to the track in 2026. If he feels the need for a change of scenery, Aston Martin has everything to be the alternative that best suits your needs…
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