Adrian Newey ‘frustrated’ ahead of Aston Martin start date as F1 team boss convinced

F1 design legend Adrian Newey starts work at Aston Martin on March 3, almost a year on from the bombshell announcement that he was quitting Red Bull after 18 years

Aston Martin are confident Adrian Newey can have an immediate impact on their fortunes after a “frustrating” period on the sidelines.

Newey holds legendary status in Formula 1 and is regarded as probably the greatest car designer the sport has ever seen. He built his reputation with McLaren and Williams before joining Red Bull in 2006.

During his 18 years there, he played a major role in transforming the fledgling Milton Keynes outfit into perennial title contenders. Red Bull have won six teams’ titles and eight drivers’ championships – all achieved in cars designed by Newey.

But it emerged last April that the 66-year-old wanted to quit the team. That was confirmed on May 1 and Aston Martin later announced that he will join as managing technical partner, starting work on March 3.

The months of gardening leave in between have been a “frustrating” time for Newey, Aston’s new team principal and chief executive officer Andy Cowell has admitted. But when the designer does start working again he will immediately set about trying to improve the Silverstone-based squad’s fortunes.

And Cowell is certain that the impact Newey will have could be huge. He said: “He’s one of the few engineers that can bridge across aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and the data logger that is the driver.

“He can communicate well with the driver and pull out the comments that the telemetry perhaps isn’t showing and can bring that back into the factory on campus and help us chase the thing that will deliver the best lap time improvement. I think we’ll feel the benefit of him in the opening days.

“I’m sure he’s frustrated with not working on a Formula 1 car at the moment, especially as there are new regulations out. And I’m sure he will be coming up with observations pertinent to the car concept, and also in terms of the tools, in terms of the fidelity of our tools and equipment, and his thoughts on where we should make improvements.”

As is the case in wider society, the use of artificial intelligence has become more prevalent in F1 in recent months and years. And while Aston Martin will continue to do so, Cowell insists the talent his team has, like Newey, remains far more important.

He added: “Human creativity is hard to quantify, isn’t it? There’s the threat of AI coming in and taking over from human creativity, but I think AI is a tool that helps human creativity. So I think individuals like Adrian, he’s got a broad perspective and the determination to chase down beliefs in performance, and I believe that’s what he will add.”