Aston Martin chief explains how Adrian Newey isn’t making life ‘easy’ for any of his staff after Red Bull move

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Adrian Newey has only had three months for his decisions to take effect at Aston Martin, but all eyes remain on them ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations.

After the announcement that he would be leaving Red Bull following a 20-year partnership last year, the Briton took a bit of time before deciding on his next move.

Eventually, Newey settled on signing with the team that sports the famous British racing green colours, in need of a leader to help them in the midst of a transformation.

A new power unit partnership with Honda should aid Aston Martin. It’s an exclusive partnership and should help them throughout the next few Formula 1 seasons.

Newey saw a big problem in Ferrari talks and didn’t want to have too much pressure on his shoulders to deliver championships, especially considering their current 17-year title drought.

Since his arrival, ‘a lot of people’ have questioned Newey at Aston Martin over his age and how much longer he can continue.

READ MORE: Nico Rosberg says Adrian Newey has already left ‘mouths open’ by doing one incredible thing at Aston Martin

Adrian Newey doesn’t make Aston Martin’s life ‘easy’ by questioning everything

Ferrari have one ‘burning’ regret from Newey negotiations, and being turned down by the 66-year-old left a wound that may take a while to recover from.

Particularly if he leads Aston Martin to their first-ever championship, it will have been a missed opportunity to give one of the greatest of all time the chance to turn their poor run around.

Speaking to The Race, CEO and team principal Andy Cowell has shared one reason why everyone’s job at the factory isn’t ‘easy’ after the arrival of Newey.

“Adrian doesn’t make anybody’s engineering job easy in the factory,” he said. “Everything has been backed into tight corners. Adrian is, ‘We should try and achieve this, this and this and this and this and this. And I know it doesn’t all fit, but we’re going to find a way’. And I love that.

“I personally love that engineering approach, because if you can do that, you’re going to make a machine that’s more capable than your opponent’s, whether that’s a power unit from my former life to the race car now. And you need people with that mentality, that ambition.

“I don’t think Adrian understands the phrase: ‘that’s good enough’. Everything can constantly be improved.”

READ MORE: Fernando Alonso loves the wonderful change he’s seen in Aston Martin meetings since ‘genius’ Adrian Newey arrived

How long does Adrian Newey’s Formula 1 contract with Aston Martin last for?

Newey joined Aston Martin officially on March 1, 2025. He’s on a £30m-a-year deal which makes him paid as handsomely as some of the sport’s top drivers.

It’s a five-year agreement, which means that he will be 71 years old at the end of it, and his future will be up for discussion.

Continuing beyond then would see him go beyond a 43rd season working with some of the fastest machines on the planet.

But at the same time, if he still enjoys it and cannot get enough, it may not be a bad idea to continue designing cars. There’s no need to put the pencil down anytime soon.