As the 2026 season approaches, bringing with it new regulations, world-renowned aerodynamicist Adrian Newey is ‘full focus’ on the development of Aston Martin’s AMR26.
Newey, an aerodynamicist and engineer in the sport for over 40 years, was acquired by Aston Martin in September 2024 after a dominant two-decade run at Red Bull. The Briton is known to be the most successful individual in the history of the sport, having won 200 races, 12 Constructors and 13 Drivers’ titles.
Defecting from Red Bull to Aston Martin in March 2025 following his appointment as Managing Technical Partner, he has been developing the team’s newest car for the 2026 season.
2026 will mark the beginning of a new era of regulations, ushering in lighter cars, completely sustainable fuel, a new overtaking system and greater emphasis on aerodynamics.
The Aston Martin F1 Team have taken no shortage of measures to prepare for the new season. This includes upgrades to the Silverstone campus and personnel changes in recent months. Newey, however, is the most notable and “the biggest part of the puzzle” according to driver, Lance Stroll.
Stroll: “Adrian right now is in a trance”
Commenting on Newey and his developments of the AMR26, Stroll remarked, “Adrian right now is in a trance, focused on drawing next year’s car.
“We spent some time together, and it’s always great just hearing what he has to say and just talking about the future. But right now, it’s full focus on making next year’s machine.“
“He’s been doing it for this long and he’s won more championships than anyone in this paddock, so I guess that says it all.”
Explaining why he appeared to smile whenever speaking about Newey, the driver remarked, “I think there’s not much reason not to smile about Adrian Newey making next year’s car, so it’s all exciting times.”
Newey’s impact: from engineering to culture
He agreed that Newey’s position as Managing Technical Partner makes his role unique from his past teams. He continued, emphasising the difference the engineer has already made in the team, saying, “I think he’s just so passionate and excited about the new regs.
“That’s what’s awesome to see, just how much passion, focus, and effort is going into the new regs and the team too“. He went on, highlighting his positive impact not only on strategy but on morale.
“Just being in a new environment, new team, he’s just uplifting everyone and just creating this healthier culture inside of the whole factory. That’s pretty awesome to see“, he added.
Further commenting on the team’s upcoming partnership with Honda for the 2026 season, Stroll deemed it, “Also very exciting. All of it“. He continued, saying, “Just all the pieces of the puzzle coming together, and it’s just an exciting time for us as a team.”
Alonso: “Everything that he says, we take it carefully”
Fellow driver and two-time world Champion Fernando Alonso, similarly, commented on the growth and positive progression of the team since Newey’s arrival.
“You spend more time with him and you keep learning things and how he works and how he approach things, challenges, all these normal, day-by-day things in Formula 1.
“But I think he’s still a person that is very special, and I think only few people will understand him fully and will be able to know exactly what he’s thinking and what he’s doing.“
Alonso divulged that the team is currently in a “learning phase” with Newey, carefully considering the wealth of knowledge and expertise he brings to the team.
“So we will need more time”, he says. “At the moment, we are in a phase of learning from him. Every conversation, every idea, everything that he says, we take it very carefully.“
He went on, adding, “We listen and we try to understand the approach that he’s taking into that comment. And thanks to that, I think we are growing as a team, so it has been very special for sure.”
The advantages of Newey’s expertise
Alonso also praised the aerodynamicist for his ability to anticipate the needs of the team, the car and the drivers, saying, “I think all the questions and all the ideas that he raises, he explains why he thinks that it’s going to be a good solution for the team, for the car and for the drivers as well.
“In terms of how to approach the corner entry, maybe next year is very different from this year’s cars. Top speed is going to be different next year. Tyres are going to be different next year.“
“So he tries to anticipate what the drivers will face in certain moments on the lap, in quali, versus the race and all this kind of thing. So he’s very educative.”
The future is bright for Aston Martin
Aston Martin undoubtedly has a leg up, having acquired the sport’s most skilled and experienced aerodynamicist, going into an aerodynamics-focused regulation period. Newey himself stated that the new regulations offer more “flexibility for innovation and different approaches than first meets the eye”.
With an expert engineer, a confident team and the “best facility in F1” according to Newey, Aston Martin could be unstoppable come 2026. But time will tell whether the Silverstone-based team’s investments will return results.
