Williams boss James Vowles shares why he didn’t want to sign Adrian Newey from Red Bull

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There have been plenty of exciting driver changes already confirmed for the 2025 Formula 1 season, but one of the most intriguing moves is Adrian Newey deciding to join Aston Martin.

Red Bull have lost several key staff this year, with Adrian Newey leading the departures alongside Jonathan Wheatley and Will Courtenay.

Aston Martin won the race to sign Newey with the likes of Ferrari, Williams and even Alpine interested in his services.

Newey was said to be considering an offer from Alpine, while Ferrari were put off by Newey’s apparent wage demands.

Williams team principal James Vowles has spoken to Auto Motor und Sport about the 65-year-old designer.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

Vowles is overseeing a period of transition for a Williams team who have spent the last few years fighting to avoid finishing bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.

Robert Kubica admitted re-joining Williams was a mistake such were the struggles the team were going through just a few years ago.

Although Williams will avoid finishing bottom of the championship this year, they have had to change their driver line-up due to Logan Sargeant’s continued underperformance.

Vowles has admitted that he feels Williams wouldn’t get enough of a benefit from hiring Newey at this stage of their development.

Williams are very much aiming for success in 2026 and beyond, while the expectation at Aston Martin is to be competitive next year after a disappointing campaign this year.

Why James Vowles didn’t want to sign Adrian Newey for Williams next season

Talking about how Williams were in the conversation to sign Newey but eventually missed out on his services, Vowles said: ”It’s nothing to do with money, although there was a bidding war at the end that we didn’t want to take part in.

“I want people who believe in our project. Williams wasn’t ready for someone like Adrian.

“We still have so much work to do before we can offer someone of his calibre the right environment.

READ MORE: Christian Horner shares ‘agreement’ he made with Adrian Newey to prevent Red Bull technical staff leaving

“He would have overwhelmed our team and that could have had the opposite effect. He would have ended up frustrated. And I don’t want to build an infrastructure that depends on one person.

“Williams isn’t about me, a driver or an engineer. It will be a team of 1,000 people working together. That’s important. It gives you a short-term loss for a long-term gain.”

Eddie Jordan thinks Adrian Newey will be excited to work with one ‘genius’ at Aston Martin

Aston Martin are ahead of Williams in terms of their development cycle, although they’ve struggled to implement their upgrades over the past two seasons.

Lawrence Stroll has built a state-of-the-art new factory for Aston Martin and has been on a hiring spree to pick up some of the best talent from up and down the paddock.

The likes of Enrico Cardile and Andy Cowell have been brought in and Newey will link up with Dan Fallows again after their time together at Red Bull.

Newey’s manager Eddie Jordan thinks he’ll be excited to work with Fernando Alonso as he seeks a third championship.

Whether Newey’s capable of designing a car for the next set of regulations that can help Alonso and Lance Stroll challenge for race wins is yet to be seen.

However, Vowles’s confidence in his clear plan for the team’s long-term future should encourage Williams fans that he’s got everything under control.