Pedro De La Rosa explains why Adrian Newey chose Aston Martin over Ferrari

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The news that Adrian Newey will be joining Aston Martin has finally been confirmed after months of speculation about the legendary designer’s next move.

Adrian Newey is set to join the team after agreeing to a contract reportedly worth £30m-a-year with billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, who announced his arrival at their new state-of-the-art Silverstone facility.

It is a significant coup for the team after Newey was handed ‘big money’ offers by various teams on the grid including former team Williams and a last-minute bid from Alpine.

Ferrari was also close to signing Newey after months of talks between the two entities reached advanced stages. The team intially offered Newey the role he wanted, but team principal Frederic Vasseur ultimately vetoed the signing because of his demands.

Discussing why he decided to make the move to Aston Martin on the F1 Nation podcast, former F1 driver and Aston Martin team ambassador Pedra de la Rosa explained the main reasons behind why Newey chose to go with the team out of all the options on the grid.

Adrian Newey chose Aston Martin because ‘the ingredients to win are there’

Newey’s manager, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan admitted that he had proposals from nearly every team on the grid due to his success in F1.

In the three decades he has been in F1, Newey has managed to take 12 Drivers’ titles and 13 Constructors’ Championships with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.

He joins Aston Martin as a managing technical partner and a shareholder within the team, which is set to reach billions in valuation after investment from two key investment funds.

De La Rosa believes Newey could see a future at Aston Martin, both as a marquee brand and with the potential to achieve success on track.

“We know Adrian, he’s a winner. He really wants to win badly everything he does. In a way, he has like a racing driver mentality,” said De La Rosa.

“The fact that he has decided for our team is because he saw that the ingredients to win are there. The resources, the people, the team, the existing people, they were all in place, you know, and otherwise he wouldn’t have joined.”

Adrian Newey impressed by team owner Lawrence Stroll

Newey said he was impressed by Stroll’s unwavering commitment and enthusiasm to build a title-winning team, which was “very endearing and persuasive” according to the designer.

He will join Aston Martin fully in March which is just a few months after teams will be allowed to commence work on their 2026 cars in January.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Aston Martin is set to switch to Honda engines from the 2026 season which will be a key test for the team, as they link both the chassis and power unit side to create a competitive package.

Andy Cowell has joined the team from Mercedes High Performance Powertrains, while former Red Bull aerodynamicist Dan Fallows backs up an impressive roster of backroom staff.

Newey will also fulfil his dream of working with Fernando Alonso, as the Spaniard looks to add to his tally of two World Championships at 45 years old.