It is “inevitable” that victory will be in the long term for Aston Martin after achieving the victory of Adrian Newey, a missed opportunity that its rivals “will live to regret. “
That is the claim made by Sky Sports correspondent Craig Slater, who envisages a successful future for the Aston Martin team with Newey in tow.
Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in May, F1 design guru Newey announced his departure from Red Bull Racing, making the Red Bull RB17 hypercar his latest commission at the company.
Interest in the career of one of Formula 1’s greatest designers, whose Williams, McLaren and Red Bull titles are proudly on his CV, will never fail, but it was Aston Martin who sealed the deal and Newey went to work. in March 2025 with the team in which owner Lawrence Stroll has invested heavily.
And, Slater believes Stroll’s investment is guaranteed to be transformed into F1 success with Newey’s presence.
“Lawrence Stroll speculated about accumulation,” he said.
“Why did Aston Martin let Newey get ahead of the others, who perhaps just did it? Many other influential people from other groups who were inclined to get Newey said: “We don’t need to be dragged into a bidding war for his services. “
“I feel that many regret not having spent more money and forcing the situation.
“It seems like now the inevitable end result is to win at some point. “
Newey takes on the new role of “managing technical partner” at Aston Martin, and his deal also includes shares in the team.
And Aston Martin’s rivals in F1 will have a hand in the outcome, Slater warns.
“If you read Newey’s book, you’ll know that this is all I needed,” Slater continued. “So if you need to have it, find a way to do it.
“I don’t think Stroll gave away a massive chunk of this team. You can make him a shareholder without diluting significantly the key shareholders of the team.
“He did what he had to do to get him in. He’s the one who’ll laugh. Others will not have taken advantage of this opportunity.
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2024 proved an underwhelming campaign for Aston Martin as the team ended the year without a podium.
And before Newey arrived, Red Bull defector Dan Fallows left the position of Aston Martin technical director on the grounds of “performance. “
“The functionality of the team this year has not been to the point we all expected,” began Aston Martin’s director of functionality, Tom McCullough.
“So we didn’t keep our promises and it’s essentially a resolution made through the team.
“I’ve sat next to Dan for the last two or three years since he’s been here, racing a lot with him, he’s had a really big impact on the progression of the car of ’22, the Array car of ’23.
“He’s brought a lot to the team, to be honest.
“In that sense, it’s a lot of fun to run with him. But ultimately, in year 24, we have not reached the point that we know we hope and need to reach.
“The progression of those cars has been a challenge and, at the end of the day, it is a performance-based industry. The team has made the resolution to make some changes.
Aston Martin has retained the driver line-up of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll for F1 2025 and beyond into the new regulatory era, Aston Martin to join forces with Honda as their new engine supplier under the new engine and chassis rules for F1 2026.
Honda powered Newey’s Red Bull designs to six championships in total since the alliance began in 2019.
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