The arrival of Adrian Newey at Aston Martin is a huge statement signing by Lawrence Stroll, one that highlights the seriousness of his ventures.
After months of speculation following confirmation of his departure from Red Bull Racing, Adrian Newey has put pen to paper on a new, long-term deal to join an increasingly impressive Aston Martin team.
Adrian Newey signing the cherry on top for Lawrence Stroll’s investments
The former Jordan/Force India squad has come a long, long way in the last five years. Ever since then-driver Sergio Perez forced the team into administration in mid-2018, the team has been going through an upward trajectory that even briefly got a little out of control at the start of 2023 as the AMR23 proved one of the quickest cars on the grid.
Since taking over the squad and creating the Racing Point entity, before evolving into Aston Martin for the 2021 season, team owner Lawrence Stroll has set about improving the infrastructure and facilities available at Silverstone. On top of that, he’s secured an exclusive engine supply deal from Honda from 2026, with the Japanese manufacturer’s flip-flopping on F1 participation resulting in a split between it and Red Bull as Milton Keynes has turned towards becoming an engine manufacturer in its own right.
Hundreds of millions have been pumped into the former Jordan factory, which is now unrecognisable as a sleek, futuristic technology campus where every facility imaginable is available to the on-site employees.
Throw in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel which is in the process of being commissioned to start its working life before the start of the F1 2025 season, and it’s clear this factory is only a few months away from Stroll being able to channel his inner Star Wars fan and declare it “the ultimate power in the (F1) universe”.
But having the very best equipment available does not a World Champion team make, and Stroll has sought to bring in the very best personnel he can secure in his bid to upset the status quo. Securing Dan Fallows as technical director, yoinking him away from Red Bull just after the start of the current ground effect regulations, proved effective to helping his team join in the fight last year, before settling into the upper midfield just behind the leading four teams this season.
But getting properly involved in the leading fight means making Aston Martin an attractive proposition for F1’s brightest and best. While securing the signatures of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso as drivers were big coups, both F1 World Champions were/are no longer at the very peak of their powers. With the driver line-up secure for the future with Alonso and Lance Stroll, going after some of F1’s leading technical personnel thus made sense as the potential untapped within Aston Martin’s facilities now reaches the point of being tappable.
Two decades ago, Christian Horner, Dany Bahar, and Dietrich Mateschitz tempted Adrian Newey into leaving the established teams he’d called home for so long, with long, successful stints at Williams and McLaren giving way to signing for the cheeky upstart Red Bull team.
It was a huge deal at the time, with Red Bull not yet seen as the serious racing entity it really was and is now. But, within a few seasons, Red Bull’s technical prowess had grown to the points where wins became achievable and, not long after, titles – the rest, as they say, is history.
Stroll is now in the position Red Bull found itself in 20 years ago. All the investment, all the improvements, all the new infrastructure – having secured someone like Newey with his incredible track record means any remaining weaknesses can be easily identified and plugged. Honda power units and Newey-overseen car designs have been at the very top for quite some time, and the appeal of a fresh challenge for Newey may be the final piece of the puzzle the Silverstone squad needs to become F1’s leading light.
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