Adrian Newey, Formula One’s foremost designer, will join Aston Martin from Red Bull in March 2025, it was confirmed on Tuesday.
Newey, the sport’s most successful car designer of all time, will join Aston Martin’s senior leadership in the newly-created role of managing technical partner and will lead the development of the team’s 2026 car.
Aston Martin hopes to become the sport’s leading team under the new set of regulations coming into force that season.
Newey’s deal is reportedly worth £30 million ($39.2m) per year for five years.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. I have been hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and commitment that Lawrence [Stroll] brings to everything he is involved with,” Newey said in a statement on Tuesday.
In stints spanning four decades with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, Newey’s cars have won 12 drivers’ championships and 13 constructors’ championships.
His signing is a major coup for Aston Martin and their owner Lawrence Stroll’s ambitions to turn the team into a title contender.
Canadian billionaire Stroll has already invested in a state-of-the-art headquarters opposite the Silverstone race circuit — the team’s announcement of Newey’s arrival said his visit to the campus in June “proved a decisive factor in the decision-making process.”
“This is huge news. Adrian is the best in the world at what he does — he is at the top of his game — and I am incredibly proud that he is joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team,” Stroll said.
“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 has also secured Honda engines for Aston Martin from 2026 onwards and extended the contract of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso for another two seasons.
Alonso will continue as teammates with Lawrence Stroll’s son Lance.
The move will tick off a major bucket list item for Newey, who said on a podcast last year he regrets not building a car for Alonso or Lewis Hamilton.
Ahead of this year’s Miami Grand Prix it was confirmed Newey would leave Red Bull in early 2025, starting a wave of speculation about his next move.
Aston Martin quickly emerged as the favourites for his signature after Ferrari’s early interest in a long-speculated dream move diminished.