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Aston Martin is close to finalizing a deal for legendary Formula One designer Adrian Newey to join the team next year, The Athletic has learned. An announcement could be made ahead of the next race in Azerbaijan.
Newey, 65, is widely regarded as one of the greatest car designers in F1 history, playing a role in 12 drivers’ championships and 13 constructors’ titles in a career spanning over 35 years with teams including Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.
In May, Newey announced he would leave Red Bull after 19 years in the spring of 2025, deciding it was time for a break before embarking on a new challenge.
It sparked a race between Red Bull’s rivals to secure Newey’s signature upon becoming a free agent, attracting interest from Ferrari, Aston Martin, Williams and McLaren.
But Newey now looks set to join Aston Martin next year after sources indicated to The Athletic that a deal looks set to be finalized in the coming days ahead of a potential announcement next week before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The arrival of Newey would be the latest major signing for Aston Martin and the team’s billionaire owner, Lawrence Stroll, who has set about turning it into a team capable of fighting for race wins and championships.
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Stroll has previously signed F1 world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso as teammates for his son, Lance, and invested heavily in a new state-of-the-art factory based at Silverstone.
Aston Martin currently sits P5 in the F1 constructors’ championship after experiencing a dip in form from last season, when Alonso was a regular podium finisher in the early part of the year.
The team announced in July that former Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell would be joining as its new group CEO, replacing Martin Whitmarsh. The team has also signed Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile, who will become chief technical officer.
Aston Martin has stagnated since taking a big step forward in 2023. (MASSIMO PINCA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Aston Martin F1 boss Mike Krack said at last month’s Dutch Grand Prix that the team was “honored” to have been linked with Newey and that he foresaw no issues fitting him into its well-bolstered technical structure.
“Formula One these days is so broad, it is not like you have to make huge changes,” Krack said. “I think there was a time where there was a team that had seven technical directors in the past, so I think we are very far from that.
“Someone like that, you have to make any kind of effort to integrate and adjust your structure to get the best out of it.”
The move for Newey will unite the Briton with Alonso, the two-time world champion. In an interview last year, Newey told BBC Sport that not working with Alonso was one of his big F1 career regrets, with the pair having previously been on opposite sides of championship battles.
Since announcing his departure, Newey has been eased out of his technical duties at Red Bull. He now focuses on delivering his new hypercar, the Red Bull RB17, which was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
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Top photo: SIPA USA
