The Harsh Reality Of Adrian Newey’s Aston Martin Move

Adrian Newey has had more Formula 1 success than any driver in history. Having been in F1 for more than 40 years, his cars have sealed 13 drivers’ championships and 12 constructors’ titles with three different teams. Having been a crucial element in the success of Red Bull Racing, he's now joining Aston Martin.

Surely, then, Aston has several future championships in the bag? Well, not necessarily.

A Fast Car Is Not Enough

Newey’s genius is undeniable, but simply building a fast car isn’t enough to guarantee Formula 1 glory. F1 is immensely complicated, and success requires myriad different factors to all come together. You can have a fast car, but if your strategies are wrong, or your drivers aren’t good enough, or the organisation as a whole isn’t working properly, the championships won’t come a-rollin’ in.

Since team owner Lawrence Stroll took over the Racing Point team in 2020 he’s been very ambitious in its development. A state-of-the-art new factory has been built at Silverstone, and a new wind tunnel is on the way. Stroll signed two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso to lead the team, although he kept faith with his underwhelming second driver (and son) Lance Stroll for, let’s face it, largely nepotistical reasons.

But while the early part of 2023 saw Aston perform well and regularly sit on the podium, results since then have not been good.

The reasons for this are, as is common in F1, many. The car, it’s true, has not been quick enough, in large part because Aston hasn’t been able to match up what it expects to see with what actually happens – their data says one thing, but reality says another. This makes it exceedingly hard to develop a car in the right direction.

The introduction of the new factory hasn’t been without its teething problems, either – uprooting a large organisation to a new facility requires adaptation and time, all while trying to compete in the ever-developing world of F1.

There’s also an argument that this is a team not used to its current working conditions. Racing Point and Force India before it achieved decent levels of success working with relatively little, maximising minimum resources. Could it now be spoiled by relatively limitless resources?

Success Needs To Come Quickly

The arrival of Adrian Newey is a hugely important puzzle piece in Aston’s success jigsaw, but the team needs to gel its new elements together, and quickly. Newey has clearly been convinced by Lawrence Stroll’s vision, but he has a history of not putting up with excess nonsense.

Newey left Williams when he felt his input wasn’t being considered when it came to driver choices – will he be happy with an underperforming Lance Stroll and a talented but ageing Fernando Alonso piloting his cars?

A lack of support from McLaren led to his departure from Woking in the wake of the over-ambitious 2003 car, which never worked properly. He also bailed from Red Bull Racing when the political tension became intolerable – infighting within the organisation following the death of team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, arguments between team principal Christian Horner and Jos Verstappen, father of star driver Max, were compounded by allegations about Horner’s improper behaviour.

The Pitfalls

The ground at Aston Martin, while undergoing what seems to be some impressive preparation, is far from firm. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer was ousted at the start of 2022 and, earlier this year, said the team had yet to match the performance peak of its time as Force India. He also suggested that Stroll Senior’s decisions were too emotional and subjective because his son was a team driver.

An engine supplier change is imminent, with Aston partnering with Honda from 2026. Honda has a distinctly patchy record in F1, joining and leaving at the drop of a hat, and seemingly always at the wrong time. Will Newey have patience for what is technically a new engine supplier finding its feet? (Honda has been supplying units to Red Bull Powertrains in recent years, but hasn’t been in F1 proper since 2021.)

Then there’s Alonso. An incredibly talented driver, but one who has in the past brought things crashing down around him, burning bridges and making for a toxic work atmosphere. When he’s happy, he’s one of the best drivers on the grid. When he’s not, everyone knows about it. How long can an underperforming Aston Martin keep Alonso happy, and how will Newey deal with things if and when Alonso’s toys come flying out of the pram?

Newey’s arrival at Aston Martin will take time to yield substantial results. Work on the 2025 car will already be well underway, and while Newey can help steer the direction of development into next season, it won’t be a car that’s his from the ground up. The chances of a title-challenging car next year seem low, especially as the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren continue to improve and challenge at the top of the field. And Red Bull, of course, still has learnings from years of Newey’s expertise.

Of course, all of our hand-wringing is entirely speculative, prophesying problems where they may never exist. Aston Martin is on the up in many ways, with some choice ingredients and, one presumes, a recipe from Lawrence Stroll that has Adrian Newey’s mouth-watering. Newey is a true icon of F1, with an unrivalled history of creating successful racing cars. If anyone can prove instrumental in turning Aston Martin’s fortunes around, it’s him. But it won’t be easy.