F1 | Newey increasingly closer to Aston Martin: announcement coming soon

After months of speculation over the future of Adrian Newey, who announced his departure from Red Bull earlier this year, final confirmation of his future plans is expected to come before the next race. Indeed, the legendary F1 designer’s move to Aston Martin looks set to be announced ahead of next week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

While Newey had initially been linked to a possible move to Ferrari following his exit from Red Bull, in the months that followed it became clear that the Prancing Horse had pulled out of the negotiations and that, as explained on Motorsport.com, the designer had chosen to remain in England, selecting offers from British teams, with Aston Martin at the forefront. Newey could not make his choice official before the end of September due to Red Bull’s constraints, but an announcement now seems ever closer.

In addition to team owner Lawrence Stroll making personal offers to persuade the designer to join the project, a secret visit to Aston Martin’s Silverstone factory in June is believed to have played a role in his decision to believe the team could give him what he needs.

Stroll has actively and significantly invested in creating a state-of-the-art facility for the team and, according to the roadmap, a new wind tunnel will soon be up and running, which will contribute to the team’s long-term ambitions.

As reported by Motorsport.com, due to a deal with Red Bull, Newey would not be able to reveal his future until September, which would leave a six-month window before he could officially start working elsewhere.

The likely imminent confirmation of Newey’s arrival comes amid a major recruitment drive by Aston Martin to secure top talent to challenge for the drivers’ title in the coming years, as planned. Before the summer break, the company announced that former Mercedes Power Unit project manager Andy Cowell would join the group as CEO from October, replacing Martin Whitmarsh.

Aston Martin has also hired former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile to help strengthen its design department from January 1, having been appointed Chief Technical Officer.

With the team already having a technical director in Dan Fallows, who worked with Newey at Red Bull, there were questions about how difficult it would be to create a coherent structure that would involve all its talents and allow them to work together seamlessly. Sometimes it’s not just the names that matter, but also the ability to make a group work. However, speaking over the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack said it wouldn’t be a big problem to solve.

Adrian Newey, Chief Technology Officer of Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

“I think Formula 1 is so big in structure nowadays. It’s not like we need to make big changes. I think in the past there was a team that had seven technical directors, so I think we are very far from that configuration. I think for a person like that [Newey] it is necessary to make every effort to integrate and adapt the structure to get the best.”

While Newey’s likely arrival at Aston Martin will be a huge boost to the team’s long-term ambitions, with the Briton having won titles at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, current driver Fernando Alonso believes it will take some time for his impact to be felt.

Asked at the Italian Grand Prix about the looming confirmation, Alonso said: “Well, it’s still just rumours. And I think it’s not just one man’s job to fix things. So it’s more about what we have now and what we’re producing; understanding what’s going in the right direction, what’s going in the wrong direction and trying to prepare 2025 in a better way.”

It is clear, however, that Newey’s arrival would not be in view of 2025, when the current technical cycle will end, but rather towards 2026, when there will be a complete technical reset given not only by the new Power Unit regulations, but also regarding Power Unit and chassis. That will be an opportunity to start from scratch and Newey could prove invaluable in laying the foundations of the new project.