Lawrence Stroll stated that Adrian Newey was the final and biggest piece of the puzzle in Aston Martin’s pursuit of challenging for the championship. Mika Hakkinen has now pointed out that with Newey joining the team, Aston Martin has all the things in place to succeed in the F1.
According to Unibet, Hakkinen said, “The Aston Martin F1 team already has a large team of engineers and designers, but if that structure can now be organized to suit Adrian, give him the freedom to lead, I do think we will see the team make good progress over the next 3-5 years”
Something new. Welcome, Adrian. pic.twitter.com/DLgHqx6sRU
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) September 10, 2024
Aston Martin has made some huge signings over the last few years including Dan Fallows, Enrico Cardile, and Andy Cowell. As Stroll Sr. suggested, the hierarchy and structure of the team will be decided by Newey.
The two-time F1 champion then added, “All the major ingredients for success are in place, so long as the people reporting to and working with Adrian respond well to his leadership.”
Hakkinen won both his championships in cars designed by Newey, hence the former McLaren champion knows what the Aston Martin-bound aerodynamicist is capable of. He explained how Newey brings the human touch to a sport where most of the design is based on CFD and wind tunnel testing.
The Finn also suggested that the Honda deal would’ve been a crucial factor for Newey to make the Aston Martin decision.
The Honda partnership crucial for Aston Martin’s success
While it’s not impossible to become a champion whilst being a customer team, it sure makes things difficult. Aston Martin‘s 2023 car’s aerodynamics were limited because of the Mercedes power unit and the team had to develop around it.
Aston Martin signed a deal with Honda starting in 2026 with the Japanese manufacturer becoming the exclusive partner of the team. This will give creative freedom to the team, and Honda can be asked to make changes to better suit the car.
Hakkinen talked about the importance of the Honda deal, “Adrian already knows them well and has designed championship-winning cars during the Red Bull-Honda partnership, so I am sure this was another factor that he and Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll will have discussed.”
During Newey’s announcement, Lawrence Stroll made it clear that Honda and Aramco are two crucial partnerships that’ll aid in the process of the team becoming a world champion.
