Adrian Newey has won a lot. Since making his way into F1 over three decades ago, Newey has been a part of multiple Championship winning outfits, moving across teams in the paddock, conquering one challenge after another. It was his move to Red Bull that was the riskiest of the lot, something he compared to his Aston Martin arrival.
Red Bull bought a struggling Jaguar stable in 2004, a time when they were just known for being an energy drinks company. That’s why no one hyped them up as much.
The majority of the community had discarded the Austrian team’s chances of ever becoming a serious team in F1. Newey, however, didn’t feel so and the thought of helping them grow was appealing enough for him to join Red Bull.
“It [Red Bull] had risen from the ashes of Jaguar,” Newey said to ams.F1. “A team that never achieved very much. So, it wasn’t just the design side, it was also about the infrastructure, the communication, the methodology, the team spirit.”
Since Adrian Newey joined Red Bull Racing in 2006, @RedBullRacing have achieved a remarkable seven F1 Drivers’ and six Constructors’ Championship titles – totalling 118 victories and 101 poles including the STR 2008 pole and victory.
More details on https://t.co/NhZicuRHZr pic.twitter.com/3AkP2LpX9b
— Max Verstappen (@VerstappenCOM) May 1, 2024
Newey went on to become one of the main figures at Red Bull as he helped transform them into a competitive outfit. Between 2005 and 2024, he designed six Championship-winning cars for Red Bull, with eight drivers’ titles also coming their way — the kind of success he would love to repeat at Aston Martin.
The Silverstone squad too has never done much in F1 in its previous names. Racing Point, Force India, and Jordan, all were bonafide midfield teams, an identity that new owner Lawrence Stroll wants to change. That’s why they signed Newey.
The 66-year-old has done this for Red Bull once before and would be itching to do the same again. Drawing parallels between his move to Red Bull and Aston Martin, Newey added, “I haven’t started yet, but I suspect it may be a little bit more on the Red Bull side of things.”
Stroll leaving no stone unturned
Just like the Red Bull group invested heavily in the early 2000s to make the F1 team come out on top, Stroll is doing whatever he can to achieve his dream of making Aston Martin world champions. Signing Newey was a sign that he was serious about his intentions.
Since the 66-year-old has designed winning cars at Williams, McLaren, and most recently Red Bull, there’s no reason why he can’t repeat the same at a team that invested $100 million in developing a state-of-the-art facility to bolster car performance.
Newey will be the Managing Technical Partner at Aston Martin once his gardening leave ends in March. Although it is a step up from his previous role of being a Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull, the aero-god will still be looking to stay involved in trackside operations.
