When the decisive moments were reached: Adrian Newey’s milestones from his departure from Red Bull to his move to Aston Martin
Adrian Newey moves to Aston Martin. But the sensational personnel transfer had a very long lead-up: In this article, we outline the individual milestones from Newey’s departure from Red Bull to his confirmation at Aston Martin
And it all started with a contract extension at Red Bull, which actually ruled out a change in the medium term. On May 1, 2023, it was announced that Newey had expressly committed to the team for several years beyond 2023. Newey was “as motivated as ever”, assured Red Bull team boss Christian Horner at the time.
Then came the 2023/24 winter break, and with it an internal dispute at Red Bull: Team Principal Christian Horner and Head of Sport Helmut Marko fought with each other for supremacy in the racing team after the death of Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz. The Horner affair, which has since been officially settled by the team, caused additional irritation – also for Newey.
As early as March, there were rumors that he might not be able to fulfill his contract after all and would be looking elsewhere at short notice. His planned absence from the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne further fueled this speculation. However, Newey was back on site as normal at the following race in Japan.
Just around the time of the Japanese Grand Prix, Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll is said to have made Newey an initial offer after the Aston Martin AMR24 did not prove to be a potential winning car in the first Formula 1 races of the year.
That was at the beginning of April. And Newey had begun to have doubts. “Towards the end of April, I decided that I needed a change,” he said on the occasion of his presentation at Aston Martin. He asked himself and his partner Mandy: “Are we going to sail around the world or am I going to do something completely different?”
This question initially remained unanswered, but at the Japan Grand Prix Newey made a decision: he would leave Red Bull. “But I had no idea what I would do next,” he says.
A few days after the China Grand Prix at the end of April, the first reports emerged that Newey would be leaving Red Bull. On May 1, 2024, the team finally made the separation official: Newey would be able to leave Red Bull early, in spring 2025.
Potential new employers for Newey had long been lining up: practically every Formula 1 team was interested in the most successful Formula 1 designer. Williams team boss James Vowles explained: “It would be remiss not to speak to him. It’s as simple as that.” Newey himself did not comment on the various offers.
In June, Aston Martin intensified the struggle for Newey with a secret factory tour in Silverstone. Employees had to vacate their workplaces. Team boss Stroll left no stone unturned to persuade Newey to switch to Aston Martin. Newey was delighted with this “proof of his determination”, as he later said.
Around this time, Newey also expressed his desire to continue working in Formula 1. Reason: “What is the premier class in the competition between humans and machines? That is clearly Formula 1. Yes, I am also interested in many other things, but if I want people and machines, then I can continue to work in the premier class as long as they want me there.”
Of course they wanted Newey. In the summer months, however, the courtship for Newey probably came down to just two teams: Aston Martin and Ferrari. But where Aston Martin advertised an almost limitless budget and maximum freedom, Ferrari is said to have finally decided to stop playing in the price war for Newey.
During this phase, Newey himself devoted more time to the Red Bull RB17 super sports car, which was officially unveiled on July 12.
After comparatively quiet weeks during the Formula 1 summer break, there were initial reports that Aston Martin would confirm Newey as a new signing in September. These reports turned out to be true: on September 10, Lawrence Stroll introduced Adrian Newey as the new overall technical director and shareholder of Aston Martin, starting work in spring 2025.
What particularly excites Newey about this new chapter in his long motorsport career? “No one has ever offered me the opportunity to be a shareholder and partner before. This is something new for me. And I’m looking forward to it. That’s why it was a very natural decision.”
Whether it will be successful or not will probably only become clear in 2026, as a group of engineers led by Newey will be responsible for the first Aston Martin under the new Formula 1 regulations. This will be the first new area of focus for the man who has already built world championship cars for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.
