Adrian Newey Joins Aston Martin as Managing Technical Partner

Adrian Newey, the renowned racing car designer, made his debut at Aston Martin in Monaco, two and a half months into his role as Managing Technical Partner. This overarching position allows Newey to contribute to all technical aspects of the team, aiming to conquer Formula 1 over the next few years.

Encountering Heavy Hitters at Silverstone

At Silverstone, Newey will meet other F1 technical heavyweights, including Andy Cowell, former Mercedes power unit chief, and Enrico Cardile, ex-Ferrari designer, who are set to join Aston Martin as Chief Technical Officer in the summer.

State-of-the-Art Facility and Wind Tunnel

Aston’s technical leadership will operate from a state-of-the-art factory adjacent to Silverstone Circuit, featuring a brand-new wind tunnel deployed for the first time to deliver in-season car upgrades.

Newey’s First Impressions and Main Weaknesses Spotted

In Monaco, Newey shared his initial thoughts on Aston Martin‘s team composition and potential under the new regulations. He identified several weaknesses that the team needs to overcome, such as growing pains and inefficient operation due to the squad’s past as a leaner team.

Key Weaknesses to Address: The Physical Simulator

Newey highlighted one key weakness: the physical simulator used by race and reserve drivers for developing new parts and trialing set-ups over race weekends. He noted that it needs significant improvement, as it is currently not correlating well, which impacts research significantly.

Opportunities in the 2026 Rules

Despite the more prescriptive nature of the 2026 rules, Newey sees a lot of potential for innovation. He believes that Aston Martin‘s competition should be wary, as he has found similar opportunities in the new regulations, mirroring his thoughts from the 2022 ground-effect based regulations.

Late Start and Challenges for 2026

With models already in the wind tunnel since the beginning of the year, Newey admitted that his late start date was later than he would have liked. However, he emphasized that a huge amount of work has already been done as Aston Martin targets ambitious development deadlines for 2026.

Contributing to the 2025 Development Project

Despite not directly working on the car, Newey is contributing significantly to this year’s development project. His insights and experience are helping the team optimize the current car, strategize, and identify areas for improvement to become a stronger team.