What ‘really impressed’ Pedro de la Rosa about Adrian Newey at McLaren after Aston Martin switch

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Adrian Newey has finally confirmed his next destination after Red Bull following months of speculation in and around the paddock.

Newey announced back in April that he will be leaving the Milton Keynes-based squad following the first quarter of 2025. The Brit joined the team in 2006 and designed the cars that took Red Bull from the midfield to winning seven drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles as of the end of the 2023 season.

Since the announcement of his Red Bull exit, speculation was rife as to where Newey will end up next. He came close to signing with Ferrari after the Maranello squad confirmed the signing of Lewis Hamilton.

Ted Kravitz refused to believe Newey was retiring after his Red Bull exit, and sure enough, the 65-year-old is moving on to his next challenge, this time with Aston Martin.

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

Newey has enjoyed an incredible career across almost four decades in Formula 1, bringing success to Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. In total, the brit has designed cars that have gone on to win 12 constructors’ championships as he establishes himself as one of the best engineers in F1 history.

Aston Martin will be hoping that Newey can have the same impact with them, as they have struggle to match their success from last season in 2024.

Pedro de la Rosa outlines what ‘really impressed’ about Adrian Newey at McLaren

Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Aston Martin brand ambassador Pedro de la Rosa spoke about what ‘really impressed’ him about Newey from his time at McLaren.

The Spaniard acted as the Woking-based squad’s reserve driver from 2003 to 2009 and he raced in the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix in place of the injured Juan Pablo Montoya.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Driving the MP4-20 – in what would be the final McLaren designed by Newey – de la Rosa set the lap record in a race with a time of 1:31:447; a record he still holds to this day.

And it was not just the incredible speed of the car that the 53-year-old was impressed by as he highlighted Newey impact in team discussions.

He said: “I’ve driven the fastest F1 car I’ve ever driven, it was the MP4-20, it’s a McLaren and it was 2005, the last V10 engine, which by the way I still hold the record in Bahrain!

“That lap record was set with Adrian’s car and basically, it was set not because I was flying, it was just because the car was unbelievably fast.

“Basically, what really impressed me about Adrian when I started at McLaren was how involved he became on the race team. How much he liked, he asked the drivers about the car balance, the car handling.

“So he got very deep into the questions, into the debriefs with the drivers and this is something that for a technical director when I was at McLaren, it was surprising because normally technical directors don’t get involved in the qualifying or testing debrief with the drivers.”

Can Adrian Newey improve Aston Martin’s fortunes?

Given Newey’s track record with joining teams in the midfield and building them up with cutting-edge designs, many will be excited to see if Aston Martin will be his next, and maybe final, F1 success story.

The Silverstone-based squad enjoyed a brilliant 2023 season, with Fernando Alonso achieving eight podiums as he finished fourth in the standings.

This year, he and Lance Stroll have been miles away from challenging the top four. Alonso has only broken into the top five once all season, while Stroll has less than half of his teammate’s points.

With Newey joining Aston Martin after his completing gardening leave with Red Bull, the Brit is not likely to have much of an impact on his new team’s machine at the start of the season. But when he eventually switches blue for green, all eyes will be on Silverstone outfit with their latest coup.