Adrian Newey, a star designer for Formula One, will become a shareholder and
managing technical partner of Aston Martin from March 1, 2025, the Silverstone-
based team announced on Tuesday. Earlier in May, the 65-year-old Newey
admitted that he was leaving the current champions, Red Bull, in pursuit of new
challenges. The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne is scheduled to kick off the
2025 season on March 16. This is the final championship before the sport enters a
new engine age and undergoes a significant regulation overhaul in 2026.
Cars designed by the British designer have won 25 driver’s and constructors’ titles
for Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull. With 21 victories from 22 races, his 2023 Red
Bull was the most dominant vehicle in the history of the sport.
Rival teams, such as Ferrari and McLaren, who were vying for the championship,
were also after Newey. Although Newey’s pay and ownership stake were not
disclosed, media estimates suggest he will receive approximately 20 million
pounds ($26.17 million) per year.
The Aston Martin squad, owned by Canadian Lawrence Stroll, is driven by 43-
year-old Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, and Stroll’s son Lance,
with an aspirational goal of becoming the best. Stroll Senior has made significant
investments in the squad, moving the factory into a new campus building and
enlisting elite players from competitors.
In July, it was revealed that Andy Cowell, the former director of Mercedes
engines, will take over as CEO, succeeding Martin Whitmarsh, the former head of
McLaren. Enrico Cardile, a former technical director of Ferrari, has also joined
Aston. Starting in 2026, Aston Martin, which is presently ranked fifth in the
standings, will enter into a new and exclusive collaboration with Honda, Red Bull’s
current engine supplier.
I am thrilled to be joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team, said
Newey. I have been hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and
commitment that Lawrence brings to everything he is involved with. Lawrence is
determined to create a world-beating team. He is the only majority team owner
who is actively engaged in the sport, he stated.
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, he added. Newey told the BBC last year that he regretted
never having worked with Alonso, and that is also a box he can now tick.
This is huge news. Adrian is the best in the world at what he does—he is at the
top of his game. It’s the biggest story since the Aston Martin name returned to
the sport and another demonstration of our ambition to build a Formula One
team capable of fighting for world championships, Stroll said in a statement.
Stroll admitted that he had been determined to sign Newey as soon as the
designer became available, and initial conversations confirmed the interest was
mutual. Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I have ever met.
When he saw what we had built at Silverstone, he quickly understood what we
were trying to achieve. We mean business, and so does he, Stroll concluded.