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Adrian Newey is widely regarded as the greatest F1 designer in history, and he previously revealed that the chassis he is most proud of was one that never even won a Grand Prix.
Aston Martin launched their AMR26 for the upcoming season of racing last night, with team principal Adrian Newey pulling the covers off the car that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will be competing in this term.
It marks the 66-year-old’s first car for the Silverstone-based outfit, following his switch from Red Bull that was completed last year.
His creations have won a staggering 12 constructors’ championships and 14 drivers’ championships, making Newey the most successful designer in the history of the sport.
Despite the accolades that his chassis have won over the years, the one that remains closest to him comes from a car that failed to ever see the chequered flag first in an F1 Grand Prix.
How many F1 titles will Newey win at Aston Martin?
Adrian Newey reveals the Formula 1 car he designed that he is ‘most proud of’
During a 2025 interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Newey was asked by renowned F1 journalist Michael Schmidt about the car that pleased him the most from his illustrious career as an aerodynamicist.
The British designer replied, “My first Formula 1 car, the 881, I think if I look back, is the one, in some ways, that I feel most proud of.
“I mean, we led a race, but we didn’t win a race. But I suppose, like all things, when you do something for the first time, if it works well, it kind of put me on the map a little bit as a designer. But that wasn’t really important to me.
“I think the thing about it was that it changed the design direction of Formula 1 in as much as it was a tightly packaged car that really concentrated on aerodynamic efficiency. That car became widely copied over the following years.”
It’s a recurring theme with the Aston Martin chief that results often don’t matter to him. Previously asked what his favourite Red Bull F1 car of all time is, Newey said the 2009 RB5, the chassis that preceded Sebastian Vettel’s dominance at the start of the 2010s.
The March 881 was utilised by the Leyton House March Racing Team during the 1988 F1 season, with the team ending the season in sixth in the constructors’ standings.
Ivan Capelli secured two podiums with the chassis that year, while teammate Mauricio Gugelmin claimed a third-place finish in the 881 at the following year’s season-opener, before it was replaced by the CG891 two rounds later.
- READ MORE: Adrian Newey has enhanced one concept from his most successful Red Bull at Aston Martin’s 2026 car
History in the making: Adrian Newey’s first Aston Martin design, the AMR26, is here🔥
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Adrian Newey has some of the greatest F1 cars in history on his CV
While Newey’s explanation is understandable, one could be forgiven for being confused as to why something akin to the RB19 isn’t the chassis that he holds most fondly in his heart.
The 2023 Red Bull F1 car carried Max Verstappen into the history books, with the Dutchman winning his third world title with the chassis during a record-breaking season.
Compared to Michael Schumacher’s most impressive campaign, Verstappen’s 2023 term was even more dominant.
He shattered records as he won 19 out of the 22 Grands Prix that were contested, with the RB19 going on to win all but one race for the entirety of the season!
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