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Aston Martin Set to Secure Red Bull Chief Designer Adrian Newey in $40M Agreement…….Aston Martin’s Bold $40M Move to Bring Design Mastermind Newey into the Fold
Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey is reportedly set to join Aston Martin next month in a bombshell move.
According to BBC Sport, the 65-year-old will sign a contract worth $40million-a-year, which is expected to be announced on Tuesday at Silverstone.
The team, however, remained tight-lipped over the reports.
“Adrian has been linked to many teams and would be an asset to any team, but we don’t have anything to announce,” a spokesperson said.
In April, Newey agreed to an early exit from his contract as Red Bull chief technical officer in the wake of the allegations that surrounded team principal Christian Horner.
Prior to the opening race of the season in Bahrain in February, Horner was accused of sexual harassment, coercive and abusive behaviour by a female employee.
A series of texts the Red Bull boss was alleged to have sent to the female employee were leaked to reporters and Formula 1 executives ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, throwing the sport in turmoil.
Horner has repeatedly denied all the allegations and has since been cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent lawyer.
His accuser was suspended from the team and a second lawyer has since recommended her appeal be dismissed.
But the fallout from the scandal seemingly convinced Newey to leave and he would part ways with Red Bull after nearly a decade early next year.
A major coup for Aston Martin
Newey’s contract with Red Bull was due to expire at the end of 2025, but his decision to leave the team ahead of schedule is understood to be motivated by the rule changes set to be introduced in Formula 1 in 2026.
Formula 1 prevents teams from starting design work on the aerodynamics of the cars that will be used in 2026 before the beginning of next year, but Newey will join Aston Martin with ample time to influence the design.
The signing of Newey is a significant coup for the team, who will welcome Honda as engine supplier in 2026 and has recently signed two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to a two-year extension.
Aston Martin’s Canadian driver Lance Stroll (L) [+]and Aston Martin’s Spanish driver Fernando Alonso talk after a group picture ahead of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir on March 2, 2024.
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Aston Martin have also poached Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell, who will start as CEO next month and former Ferrari chassis technical director Enrico Cardile, who will join as chief technical officer next year.
When Newey negotiated his early exit from Red Bull, reports in Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested the 65-year-old would join Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next season.
But Aston Martin appear to have stolen a march on the Scuderia as part of owner Lawrence Stroll’s plans to win a world title.
The greatest designer in Formula 1 history
Widely regarded as the greatest designer in Formula 1 history, Newey’s cars have won 12 drivers’ championships and 13 constructors’ titles.
The Briton designed his first Formula 1 car for March in 1988, but his breakthrough came as he joined Williams three years later.
With Newey in charge, the team won five consecutive constructors’ championships between 1992 and 1997 and four drivers’ titles, with Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
By the time the latter won what hitherto remains Williams’ most recent world championship, Newey had joined McLaren.
Four more titles followed, with Mika Hakkinen clinching the drivers’ crown in 1998 and 1999 with the MP4/13 and the MP4/14 respectively and McLaren topping the constructors’ standings.
Six years later, Newey moved again, this time joining Red Bull in a $10m deal in the team’s second season on the grid.
F1 Grand Prix of Miami – Qualifying
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 04: Adrian Newey, the Chief [+]Technical Officer of Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on from the pitwall during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 04, 2024 in Miami, Florida.
His contribution to the Milton Keynes-based team has been simply extraordinary, with Red Bull winning four constructors’ titles in a row between 2010 and 2013 as Sebastian Vettel won four drivers’ crowns.
After eight years of Mercedes domination, Red Bull has reestablished itself as the preeminent force in Formula 1 over the past three years.
Max Verstappen has won three consecutive drivers’ titles and the team has won the constructors’ titles in the last two seasons.
The Dutchman won a record 19 out of 22 races last term, with teammate Sergio Perez taking the chequered flag in two Grands Prix.
The tally of 21 wins from 22 races made the RB19 the most dominant car in Formula 1’s history, with a winning percentage of 95.4% beating the 93.8% benchmark set by the McLaren MP4/4 in 1988.
Newey could add two more titles this season, with Red Bull eight points ahead of McLaren in the constructors’ championship and Verstappen 62 points clear of Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings.
