How Adrian Newey's move to Aston Martin could shake up the 2025 Constructors’ Championship battle
The latest F1 news stories have introduced some fascinating elements to the race for the 2025 and 2026 Constructors’ Championships, but the confirmation that Adrian Newey has decided to join Aston Martin Aramco may have the biggest impact. Why has this switch drawn so much interest?
Who is Adrian Newey?
UK-born Adrian Newey started in the motorsports industry immediately after earning his first-class honours degree in Aeronautical Engineering. His first opportunity came with the Fittipaldi team before he joined March and then worked as a race engineer for Venezuelan driver Johnny Cecotto.
Next, Newey turned his hand to race car design. The March GTP sports model, his first design, was extremely successful, winning the IMSA GTP title. Since then, he’s become one of the leading figures among F1 engineers, with his designs winning more than 200 Grand Prix races over the years. This list of the F1 cars he’s designed is a testament to his massive impact in the sport.
He’s also been part of three different teams that have won the Constructors’ Championship a total of 12 times. His F1 career took him from Williams to McLaren and then to Red Bull Racing, where his cars enjoyed a period of domination. In fact, his RB19 is the F1 car with the best winning record in history, achieving wins in 21 out of its 22 races.
How did this switch happen?
In early May, Red Bull Racing confirmed that Newey was stopping his F1 design duties and would be concentrating on the RB17 hypercar before cutting ties with Red Bull completely at the start of 2025. His agreed departure from Red Bull led to several other teams holding discussions with him.
It was recently revealed that Aston Martin had reached an agreement with Newey for him to join as Managing Technical Partner. The British car market reports that giving him a private tour of their cutting-edge factory was a pivotal moment in persuading the acclaimed engineer to join their project.
He stated that he was “thrilled” to join the team and pointed out that he was inspired and impressed by the “passion and commitment” of Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll in trying to create a title-winning team.
Stroll called this signing “the biggest story since the Aston Martin name returned to the sport.” He said that it’s another sign of the team’s ambitions as they aim to get into a position to fight for the chance to win world championships. The Aston Martin boss said they pushed hard to convince Newey to sign up as soon as he became available.
How could he help Aston Martin?
There’s no doubt that Adrian Newey’s huge reputation in the motorsports industry is well deserved. His record in designing title-winning cars is unparalleled, and he’s had success with many different teams over a long period.
Can he turn Aston Martin into a winning team? The fact that he’ll be turning his designs into reality in a brand-new factory at Silverstone is a huge factor in his favour. He’ll be able to use the latest features, such as an in-loop simulator and wind tunnel, to make the best racing car possible.
Aston Martin returned to F1 in 2021 and is looking to give drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll the cars they need to compete for places on the podium. A look at the current F1 odds shows Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris leading the way in the betting for the Las Vegas GP on November 23. Alonso is at +40,000, while Stroll is even further down the list at +75,000. It’s possible to bet on the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, where Aston Martin is out of the running.
What are the chances of a successful season for Aston Martin?
Since he’ll be joining Aston Martin Aramco in March next year, Adrian Newey won’t be able to affect this year’s F1 season. Instead, the 65-year-old will be looking to implement his designs for the 2026 season. Whether Fernando Alonso will still be around is uncertain, as the 43-year-old looks to recapture former glories.
The 2025 season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, so the car needs to be up and running before Newey gets his feet under his next desk. However, the legendary engineer’s record in motorsports suggests that we can expect to see Aston Martin with a competitive car in place for the 2026 season.
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