Aston Martin, Newey Partnership Signals Commitment to Success
As announced on September 10th of 2024, Adrian Newey is now a member of the Aramco Aston Martin F1 team.
Newey is easily the most successful engineer and car designer in Formula One’s history, as his 12 World Constructors Championships speak for themselves. From Williams to McLaren and most recently Red Bull Racing, Newey has found major success at every stop. His brilliance in building an aerodynamic car that seems to glide on any engine makes his presence so alluring for teams searching for immediate results.
Newey (left) Pictured With Late F1 Legend Ayrton Senna (right) During His Time With Williams
Most recently, though, Newey’s successful time at Red Bull, where he built multiple dominant cars for world champion Max Verstappen, came to an end, mostly due to a crumbling relationship with team principal Christian Horner. At first, Newey seemed to contemplate some sort of retirement or less involved F1 role in lieu of his Red Bull exit, until multiple prevalent F1 teams came knocking with irresistible offers. McLaren, Ferrari, and Aston Martin were just a few teams who were rumored to be going “all in” for the legendary F1 constructor.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin F1 CEO Lawrence Stroll seemed to view “all in” as an understatement. In an F1 environment where many are scared to put their chips in the middle and bring in the talent no matter the price, Lawrence Stroll stands out. The billionaire mogul has invested in brand new facilities for the British-based F1 team and is rumored to be paying Newey and his team of engineers over £100 million to join the Aston Martin family. He has made it ever more clear in his time in F1: if talent is available, Aston Martin will be in the mix. From debuting the Aston Martin brand with legend Sebastian Vettel, to replacing him with previous F1 and World Endurance champion Fernando Alonso, winning is clearly a priority for Stroll and Aston Martin.
Fernando Alonso celebrates a podium finish in Bahrain for the first race of 2023
Still, in its brief time in Formula One, Aston Martin has not quite found the success that it prioritizes. Despite multiple podiums, no wins have come to the Silverstone based team. Some blame this on Aston Martin’s second driver, Lance Stroll. As the son of Lawrence, many have been quick to jump on Lance for his underperformances at the highest level. Yet, it is still important to understand that Lance has been directly compared to the greatness of two legends who hold a cumulative 6 World Drivers Championships, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. An uncompetitive car and some untimely mistakes have made it difficult for Lance Stroll to reach beyond his father’s overshadowing clause of nepotism.
All of this culminated in the Adrain Newey sweepstakes, where Lawrence Stroll cleared out Aston Martin F1’s brand new factory and state-of-the art wind tunnel facility for 7 days just for Newey’s visit. “In order to show the most successful constructor in Formula 1 history his empire, Stroll sent the entire workforce home the week before the Canadian GP. No one was supposed to see who his exclusive guest was.” Stroll Sr. sees Adrian Newey as the final step in a quest for Aston Martin F1 competitiveness. On paper, Newey’s Aston Martin can have a brilliantly crafted car with a legendary driver lined up next to Stroll Sr’s son, whom Sr. obviously has the ultimate sense of belief in, success seems to be right on the brink.
In an even larger sense, Newey’s £30 million a year contract, was not only what it took to outbid the likes of Mclaren and Ferrari, but a signal that Aston Martin is eager to win. Like it or not, Lawrence Stroll is the ultimate supporter of both his son and his business, and with Newey and a “superteam” of engineers they seem to be recruiting, excuses will soon be few and far between.
