Red Bull Team Boss Picks Apart 'Premature' Timing Of Aston Martin's Adrian Newey Celebration

Saajan Jogia | Sep 13, 2024

Adrian Newey - Aston Martin / Aston Martin Press Release

Aston Martin's huge announcement of Adrian Newey's signing on September 10 through a press event sent shockwaves through the Formula 1 grid as teams prepped for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku. With the 65-year-old aero guru still under a Red Bull contract for this year, team principal Christian Horner described the announcement as "premature."

One of Formula 1's most successful designers, Newey announced his shocking Red Bull exit in May after spending 18 years with the team. The most recent example of his capabilities is Red Bull's dominance in the ground effect era since 2022. Through the 2023 RB19 F1 car, the team's superiority peaked last year when it won 21 out of the 22 Grands Prix.

Consequently, several teams eagerly approached Newey after his exit announcement. As well as Aston Martin, Newey was said to be in talks with McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine, and Williams. Eventually, Lawrence Stroll's long-term plans for Aston Martin and his commitment to the team through a brand new state-of-the-art facility in Silverstone paved the way for Newey to join his team.

While promising attempts were made to keep Newey's move a big secret, his presence at the Aston Martin factory in June was a big giveaway. As the speculations multiplied, Stroll's outfit officially revealed the association with Newey, where he will take on the role of managing technical partner and shareholder in March 2025.

Horner feels the announcement was poorly timed, given that Newey is still under contract with Red Bull. He told the media:

"It was obviously a large announcement by Aston and Adrian has always tended to do his own thing so obviously it was a big moment for that team.

"They chose to celebrate it perhaps potentially slightly prematurely before he has finished his contract with Red Bull Racing but obviously it was a big moment for that team."

The Red Bull team boss added:

"It wasn't a great surprise; I think it was becoming clearer and clearer that that was the route that he was going to go rather than into retirement or any other team so obviously it will be a new challenge for him and it will be sad to see when he leaves next year but we wish him all the best for the future.

"Adrian is obviously a very creative guy and he is not your average designer, I think he is the only person still in Formula 1 working on a drawing board, so inevitably there will be a process of having to get to know each other and how each other works and so on.

"He is unique in many respects, and I think that Aston will obviously look to draw upon his huge experience.

"I look back with great fondness to the time, the 20 years almost that we spent together, the highs and lows during that period, but look forward to the future and I think we are well positioned for that."