Adrian Newey has outlined the improvement that Aston Martin must make, despite possessing the “best facility” within Formula 1.
The British marque launched the AMR Technology Campus at Silverstone in 2023, and in that time, the team has struggle to replicate the form it found in that season.
Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll was able to lure Newey from Red Bull last year, and the famed technical guru began work with the team in March.
In an interview on the Aston Martin team’s website, Newey remarked that the people involved is what will utilise the excellent HQ, citing former employers Red Bull’s modest facilities as an example of what can be achieved.
“Lawrence’s vision has created a great facility – the best facility in F1 – but it is important that we now optimise how we use it,” he said.
“Again, this is a people sport. My previous team had one of the worst wind tunnels in F1 and operates out of an unremarkable series of buildings on an industrial estate, but it managed to get everybody working together and developed a great group of people.
“We have many talented people – also a few areas that need strengthening with greater numbers – and we need to get everyone working together better, using these tools and developing our abilities.”
A ‘few conversations’ on improving current Aston Martin challenger amid 2026 work
Newey revealed that, whilst he is putting much of his focus and energy into the 2026 car – when the new regulations will come into effect – he is managing to give a small amount of input into the current AMR25.
The car has not been a frontrunner, to put it mildly, scoring just 14 points in the six race weekends so far contested, placing the team seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.
“Lawrence understandably wants us to do as well as we can in 2025 so there’s a small team still working on this year’s car from an aerodynamics point of view,” Newey said.
“I’ve had a few lunchtime conversations with that small group, discussing the car and what we can do about it.”
Newey also added that within that, he is also conversing with drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, acknowledging getting their opinions is important for development.
“I’ve also spoken extensively with both Lance and Fernando, getting their input on the strengths and weaknesses of the current car, the correlation between the current car and the driver-in-the-loop simulator, and so on.
“The drivers are an essential part of the feedback loop of how you modify the engineering organisation and the way you go about things.”
READ MORE – Why ‘scary’ 2026 F1 rules could be the biggest challenge yet for Adrian Newey
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