The mastermind behind Red Bull’s engineering prowess is set to join Aston Martin in 2025.
Whenever Red Bull’s dominance is brought up in conversation, Adrian Newey’s name is bound to be mentioned. Over the years, Newey’s name has been synonymous with cutting-edge advancements and innovations in the world of Formula 1, building a reputation as the sport’s most successful engineer. His journey towards the current point in his career started in the 1980s after he earned a degree in aeronautics from the University of Southhampton. After working his way up through several engineering roles, including a stint at Fittipaldi Automotive and the March IndyCar Project.
In 1997, Newey’s career would take a turn when he joined McLaren after a few impressive years at Williams. With Newey’s help, McLaren would surge to the top of the grid through innovations like the MP4/13 design. This all helped McLaren and driver Mika Häkkinen take back-to-back World Championships in 1998 and 1999. Newey’s technical genius revolutionized car design at McLaren and set a benchmark for engineers to try and attain. His ability to find aerodynamic advantages gave the team an edge over the competitors and ultimately allowed McLaren’s car to win races.
Formula 1 fans and executives looking to take their team to the next level certainly noticed Newey’s engineering prowess. Red Bull Racing decided his knowledge and ability were needed and hired him away from McLaren. While he couldn’t do much with the car during his initial year, he began work on designing cars of his own. It wasn’t until 2009 that his presence on the team could truly be felt. His designs for the RB5 and RB6 in 2009 and 2010 were revolutionary for Red Bull, incorporating advanced aerodynamic principles that gave the cars unmatched downforce and handling.
Under Newey’s leadership, Red Bull would secure its first Constructor’s Championship in 2010, with Sebastian Vettel becoming the youngest World Champion in F1 history. After this year, Red Bull would continue to dominate, with Red Bull and Vettel winning four consecutive Constructor’s and Drivers’ championships. After years of success, Newey would find himself stepping back from his day-to-day role with the team and would instead be given a broader role with Red Bull. This move allowed him to explore other projects and ventures, like the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar.
Now, in 2024, after years of Max Verstappen-led victories and Championship wins, it has been announced that Adrian Newey has signed a long-term contract to join Aston Martin Racing. His new role will be Managing Technical Partner, starting on March 1, 2025. This means he will have a short amount of time to influence the car that Aston Martin will be racing in 2026 under the new regulations. Still, Newey has proven that no matter the time given, he can still have a massive impact on a motorsport team, and his tenure at Aston Martin will be no different from his past employments.
This article appeared in our November 2024 Issue.
Introducing the November 2024 issue of duPont REGISTRY, #474, starring the new Maserati GT2 Stradale. To get your hands on a copy, either buy a single issue or subscribe.
