Aston Martin is poised to announce it has signed Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey prior to next weekend’s Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, according to reports.
Red Bull announced the bombshell news earlier this season that Newey had communicated the desire to vacate the position that he has held for almost two decades.
There has been much speculation over the intervening period about where F1’s most esteemed designer could end up next, with several teams courting his signature.
Ferrari emerged as the initial leading contender to win the race in a switch which would have coincided with seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in 2025.
However, rumours linking Newey with the Italian marque began to dissipate, and it became clear that Aston Martin was starting to steal a march over the competition.
Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll, who holds a strong ambition to transcend the side into a title-winning operation, was believed to have tabled a lucrative proposal.
Along with the blockbuster financial aspects, Stroll was also touted to have provided Newey with a private tour around the redevelopments happening at Aston’s base.
The Canadian billionaire has invested mass sums in renovating Aston facilities at its Silverstone headquarters, which will comprise a new state-of-the-art wind tunnel.
Aston Martin has remained tightlipped on reports concerning Newey’s potential move, but it appears that the speculation that has rumbled on could now be at an end.
Red Bull was slated to have agreed on September as the date Newey, who’ll be available to commence work elsewhere in March, could go public with his next venture.
Newey would come in alongside a star-studded technical team which includes Dan Fallows, whom the Briton, 65, worked with during his extensive spell with Red Bull.
Meanwhile, Stroll’s relentless recruitment drive saw Aston Martin poach ex-Ferrari Technical Director Enrico Cardile, who will begin in 2025, prior to the summer break.
Aston Martin combining its renovations with several big hires has prompted queries over whether it can construct a structure that brings out the best in all individuals.
However, Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has denied that the British marque would have to implement wholesale tweaks to incorporate Newey into the setup.
“I think Formula 1 these days is so broad,” Krack reasoned at Zandvoort late last month. “It is not like you have to make huge changes.
“I think there was a time when there was a team that had seven technical directors in the past, so I think we are very far from that.
“I think someone like that, you have to make any kind of effort to integrate and adjust your structure to get the best out of it.”
But while Newey would bring multiple decades of F1 experience and 25 titles to Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso has warned that one man won’t reverse its prospects.
“Well, still only rumours and I think it’s not only [a] one-man job to fix the things,” Alonso said post-race at Monza last weekend, where he finished outside the points.
“So it’s more what we have now and what we are producing; understand what is going in the right direction, what is going on the wrong direction and try to prepare 2025 in a better way.”
The Silverstone-based squad has endured a tough season in 2024 as it resides in fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with 74 points, 218 points behind Mercedes.
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