Aston Martin confirms appointment of Adrian Newey as managing technical partner and a shareholder
Aston Martin has confirmed the appointment of Adrian Newey as managing technical partner and a shareholder in its F1 team. The appointment while expected sees the legendary designer head up the 2026 design ahead of the introduction of new regulations when he joins the team by the end of March next year.
Newey resigned as Red Bull’s chief technical officer in May admits the fallout from the power struggle which resulted in allegations against Christian Horner which have been dismissed, and is due to leave the team in the coming weeks following the completion of his RB17 hypercar project.
Newey, regarded as the greatest F1 designer in history, has also become an Aston Martin shareholder. According to BBC News and Sky Sports, the five-year contract is worth up to £30m a year, including bonuses and add-ons.
Newey said he was “hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and commitment” of team owner Lawrence Stroll.
Ferrari was long thought to be the frontrunner to secure Newey’s services as a consultant, with Newey admitting he was keen to work together with 2025 Ferrari signing Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari confirmed earlier this month they backed out of trying to sign Newey, to avoid a ’bidding war’.
Instead, he will tick off a different bucket list item by joining forces with fellow world champion Fernando Alonso. Alonso is under contract until the end of 2026. The team’s other driver is Stroll’s son Lance.
They will be hoping that Newey can mastermind the team coming to the front when the new regulations are introduced and Aston becomes a works team thanks to a deal with Honda. He has designed fourteen championship-winning F1 cars, during his time at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, where he had worked since 2006
Aston Martin over the past few years has invested heavily in their Silverstone base and secured a works engine deal with Honda from 2026. Earlier this year the team signed his defacto deputy at Red Bull Dan Fallows and Ferrari’s Enrico Cardile, due to start within the next year.
The team will have a new chief executive from 1st October as former Mercedes HPP managing director Andy Cowell joins the team.
Newey said: “Lawrence is determined to create a world-beating team. He is the only majority team owner who is actively engaged in the sport. His commitment is demonstrated in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus and wind tunnel at Silverstone, which are not only state of the art but have a layout that creates a great environment to work in.”
“They have all the key pieces of infrastructure needed to make Aston Martin a world championship-winning team and I am very much looking forward to helping reach that goal.”
Lawrence Stroll said he was “incredibly proud” Newey had decided to join Aston Martin, describing it as “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”. Newey also had conversations with Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Alpine.