Adrian Newey Questioned On '£30M' Aston Martin Salary

Chris Ladd | Sep 11, 2024

Adrian Newey - Aston Martin / Aston Martin Press Release

Adrian Newey, the renowned F1 car designer, recently joined Aston Martin, where he is set to play a crucial role as the team's Managing Technical Partner starting in 2025. His move to the Silverstone-based team, backed by billionaire Lawrence Stroll, is part of Aston Martin's ambition to compete for world championships.

Newey's compensation package is notably substantial, with reports indicating an annual salary of £30 million, which includes bonuses and shares. This figure makes him one of the highest-paid individuals in the sport, earning more than most F1 drivers—except for stars like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. In addition to his salary, Newey will also become a shareholder in the Aston Martin F1 team.

When asked by the BBC what justifies his significant pay, Newey replied:

“Better ask Lawrence… I don’t know. I’m just me. I am in a very fortunate position where I don’t need to work now. I could retire and have a comfortable lifestyle very easily. But I still love the job that I’m doing.”

Newey's decision to join Aston Martin was not a foregone conclusion. He had been with Red Bull for nearly two decades, leading them to significant success, and his departure was surprising to many. Before settling on Aston Martin, Newey was reportedly approached by other top teams, including Ferrari and McLaren, but ultimately chose Aston Martin due to the team's ambitious vision under Stroll​.

“When I decided to stop at Red Bull in late-April I genuinely had no idea what to do next,” he said.
“Would it be to retire and sail around the world? Would it be to do something completely different? Would it be to stay in F1? Me and Mandy, my wife, decided not to make a decision for a while, to let it sink in."

“In June I thought that I wanted to be a designer in motor racing ever since I was 10 or 12, and have been lucky enough to achieve that. I still love the job. The challenge to make the car go faster gets me up in the morning.”

Newey addressed his decision to leave Red Bull after a long and successful tenure, admitting that he began to feel "a bit stale" towards the end of his time there. He compared it to a similar experience he had at McLaren in 2005, when he felt a need for a fresh challenge. Reflecting on his departure from Red Bull, Newey explained that while multiple factors contributed to his decision, the desire to rejuvenate his passion for design was a significant one. He felt this stagnation set in during the latter half of 2023 and continued into 2024, prompting his move to Aston Martin.

“The reception I had from all the employees here, when I walked out to address the factory, was a ‘pinch yourself’ moment,” he said. “It’s a side of it that I never think about. My passion is to make the car go faster. I try to keep myself immune from the outside media.”