Aston Martin has been making some big moves in their technical department in the past few months. Now, it looks as though Adrian Newey will be bringing his extraordinary skillset and experience to Silverstone to bring a competitive edge to the team.
Just a few weeks back, Aston Martin confirmed that Enrico Cardile will be joining the team as a key member of the technical department. Cardile previously worked for Ferrari’s Technical Director of Chassis. Now, Adrian Newey will be coming in to become the key mastermind behind Aston Martin’s 2026 contender.
How long has Aston Martin signed Adrian Newey for?
Although Aston Martin is yet to confirm the signing, a source within the team has leaked the information to BBC who reported it. The report suggests that Newey has signed a 5-year contract which is worth £30 million per year. This gives Newey a total of £150 million over the course of 5 years.
🚨 | BREAKING: Leading Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey is set join Aston Martin next year
An Aston Martin source told BBC Sport that Newey has made a long-term commitment to the team, said to be a five-year contract worth up to a possible £30m a year, including bonuses and… pic.twitter.com/xuJaSo5OZP
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 7, 2024
If this is true, Newey will be working for Aston Martin until the end of the 2029 season. This is a long contract to sign for a 65-year-old man.
Just last year, Newey signed a contract extension with Red Bull, after which Christian Horner stated that Newey would be a part of the team for “years to come”. However, something clearly happened within the team and now Newey has decided to leave.
When will Adrian Newey be allowed to leave Red Bull?
When Newey decided to leave the team, there was doubt on whether his contract would allow him to do so. But lawyers from both parties got together in a room and were able to work out a deal.
According to the deal, Newey had stepped down from his role as Chief Technical Officer for the Red Bull F1 team before the Miami Grand Prix. That is when his gardening leave started. However, Newey will continue to work for Red Bull to design the RB17 Hypercar which has been in production for over a year. Newey will be allowed to leave the team once his work for the Hypercar is completed.
During the first quarter of 2025, Adrian Newey will be allowed to join another team as he will have completed his 1-year of gardening leave.
Aston Martin use Newey to lure in new investors
Lawrence Stroll is very clearly a businessman first. Although it looks as though he bought the Force India F1 Team to give his son a seat in Formula 1, Lawrence Stroll is making this a billion-dollar team.
There is no doubt that Adrian Newey brings a lot of value to the team due to his expertise. Almost all of his creations have gone on to win F1 Championships. Aston Martin hopes that he can do the same in the coming years.
⚠️ | Aston Martin is set to sell a large stake of the team to HPS Investment Partners and Accel.
The sale will reportedly increase the value of the team to somewhere between £1.5 – £2 billion.#F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/03fbqCUDfD
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 7, 2024
With Newey joining the team, Lawrence Stroll has decided that it would be a good idea to use this news to lure in new investors. Sky News has reported that HPS Investment Partners and Accel will be purchasing a majority stake in the team. This deal will reportedly increase the team’s valuation to a total of £1.5 billion to £2 billion.
Honestly speaking, this is a brilliant move by Lawrence Stroll. Now the only thing left to do is wait for Aston Martin to finally announce Newey’s signing.
