04-07-2025
Adrian Newey's Path to Aston Martin
For two months last year, Adrian Newey, renowned in Formula 1 as a master of car design, contemplated his next move.
After 19 seasons, Red Bull announced last May that Newey, the chief technical officer, was leaving. At the time, cars designed by Newey for the team had won seven drivers' titles, six constructors' championships and 118 Grands Prix. Adding his earlier time with Williams and McLaren, his cars have won 12 constructors' championships and 14 drivers' titles.
'You have to be honest with yourself, to keep yourself fresh, and I felt as if I needed a new challenge,' Newey said during a news conference in September. 'But I genuinely had no idea what would be next. I just wanted to have a blank mind, take stock, enjoy a bit of a break and hope that, standing in the shower somewhere, the spark would come.
'I spent lots of time with Mandy, my wife, discussing what's next, what do we do. Do we go off and sail around the world? Do I do something different, like the America's Cup or whatever? So we took a bit of time out, although I think she was worried I would probably drive her a bit mad if I was at home too much.'
Newey, 66, stepped away from Formula 1, but he said that by late June last year, he knew where he was headed. He would join Aston Martin as managing technical partner and as a shareholder. A few months later, the car he designed for Red Bull added to his legacy when Max Verstappen won a fourth consecutive drivers' championship.
Before joining Aston Martin, he was in demand.
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