Aston Martin Team Owner Confirms Talks With Adrian Newey - 'Very Excited For Adrian To Join'

Saajan Jogia | Sep 4, 2024

Adrian Newey / Red Bull Content Pool

Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll has confirmed ongoing discussions with Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey, expressing his ambition to bring the legendary F1 designer to his Silverstone-based team.

Newey confirmed his exit from Red Bull in May, with his departure scheduled for March 2025, marking the end of an 18-year partnership with the team. The announcement followed reports of internal conflict within the team, mainly pertaining to allegations laid on team principal Christian Horner by an employee for inappropriate behavior.

The aero guru's manager, Eddie Jordan, a former F1 team owner, revealed that he was unwilling to discuss Newey's future move. He told BBC Sport:

"I am not prepared to answer - I will not be forthcoming in any shape or form."

However, Newey's Aston Martin links appear to be growing stronger by the day, especially after his secret June visit to the outfit's new factory and wind tunnel in Silverstone. In addition, Stroll's team has been proactive in recruiting top talent from rival teams, including Ferrari's chassis technical director, Enrico Cardile, who has joined as the new chief technical officer.

Aston Martin's technical director, Dan Fallows, who assumed his role in April 2022, previously worked alongside Newey at Red Bull, where he served as the head of aerodynamics before making the move to his current position.

In addition, Aston Martin announced the hiring of former Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell in July, slated to join in October as the team's new chief executive officer, replacing Martin Whitmarsh. The team's aggressive hiring strategy points all fingers at Newey's onboarding with the team.

It is no surprise that Stroll has been actively pursuing Newey for quite some time, a move he openly discussed in his recent interview with Bloomberg. He said:

"Adrian and I have been talking not only for months but actually for years.

"Adrian is clearly the most talented and gifted individual in F1 based on his track record and history.

"So I'd be very excited for Adrian to join our team, as I think every other F1 team on the grid would feel exactly the same."

When asked if the 65-year-old designer would join Aston Martin, Stroll said:

"I certainly hope so."

Regarded as the greatest Formula 1 designer in history, Newey has been a key figure behind 12 drivers' championships and 13 constructors' titles with Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull since 1991. His masterful design of Red Bull's title-contending car has been pivotal in the Milton Keynes team's dominance in the current ground effect era, which began in 2022.

Amid a period of transformation at Alpine and Williams, Newey was rumored to be in talks with those teams following speculation about a move to Ferrari or McLaren. However, with Lawrence Stroll's recent revelation that he has been in discussions with Newey for years, it now seems highly likely that Aston Martin will announce his hiring at a press conference set for September 10th.