And as if that’s not enough change, Aston Martin will have to produce their own gearbox and suspension (they used to take those parts from Mercedes as part of a technical partnership that included the German manufacturer’s engines) in-house and knit that together with the rest of the chassis and the integration with a new power unit.
But this is the kind of challenge Newey is relishing – and another big reason why he chose this project.
He also finally gets to work with one of the two drivers he had previously said he was keen to work with – Fernando Alonso (Lewis Hamilton – who joins Ferrari next year, another team Newey spoke to – being the other) 15 years after they almost teamed up at Red Bull.
“I’ve made no secret of the fact there are two drivers I’d love to work with – Fernando and of course Lewis,” added Newey. “I couldn’t do both so I had to make that decision.”
He added: “Fernando, of course, we’ve battled against each other for so many years and he’s been a bit of a, kind of an arch-enemy at times.
“We came so close to him joining Red Bull in 2008 for the 2009 season, but unfortunately it didn’t quite happen, which was a great shame. So, we continued to battle against each other! He’s a legend of the sport, so I’m very much looking forward to working with him.”