by Martin Brundle has referred to Adrian Newey’s record number of world titles won with various F1 teams as a “bad habit” after the design guru moved to Aston Martin on Tuesday.
Newey, who will leave Red Bull next year to join Aston in March 2025, won 13 drivers’ titles and 12 constructors’ championships during a distinguished career as an F1 car designer.
The 65-year-old’s move to Aston, confirmed on Tuesday, will see Newey team up with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll with an eye on new engine, powertrain and chassis regulations in 2026.
By turning down Ferrari – and turning down a partnership with Lewis Hamilton in the process – Newey has committed to supporting Lawrence Stroll’s ambitious Aston project. Newey will become a shareholder in the team, in addition to his £20m-a-year contract.
“Adrian Newey is obviously a big name in Formula 1,” said Sky F1 pundit and former driver Brundle. Sky Sports News Tuesday.
“He has had a bad habit in his last three teams of being involved in several championship-winning chassis and team efforts.
“He’s known as a genius in the business and he tends to bring success with him. If you want to have Adrian on board, you need a certain level of resources and control to get the most out of his skills.
“But we also have 2026 coming up, which Adrian himself describes as the biggest change in Formula 1 history because of the simultaneous changes to the chassis, aerodynamics and engines. So he’s a man you’d want to have on board at that point.”
Newey enjoyed success at Williams and McLaren in the 1990s before joining Red Bull in 2006.
The British designer played a key role in Sebastian Vettel’s four consecutive titles from 2010 to 2013 as well as Max Verstappen’s current run of success with three championships in a row.
His knowledge of the current generation of cars, using ground-effect aerodynamics, was key to Red Bull’s unprecedented dominance of the sport last year, when they won 21 out of 22 races.
However, looking for a new challenge and seemingly unsatisfied with the power struggle at Red Bull between Christian Horner on one side and Helmut Marko and Jos Verstappen on the other, Newey joined Aston and its plush new Silverstone headquarters.
“The 2026 rules are an opportunity, they represent a reset for everyone,” Newey said Tuesday. “When I said I would leave the old team, [Red Bull]I was very flattered to have many approaches from different teams.
“But Lawrence’s passion and enthusiasm are very engaging and compelling. And having the opportunity to be a shareholder and partner had never been offered to me before. It became a very natural choice.”
F1 returns after a week’s break this weekend with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings by 62 points over Lando Norris with eight races remaining.
