F1 legend Adrian Newey admits Aston Martin have nightmare trait he tried to ‘eradicate’ at Red Bull

Aston Martin

Adrian Newey admits Aston Martin have nightmare trait he tried to ‘eradicate’ at Red Bull

Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin in March

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 6 November 2025 09:57

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F1 design legend Adrian Newey has revealed the 'scourge' that he had to 'eradicate' at Red Bull, and how he's trying to do the same now with Aston Martin.

Newey joined Red Bull in 2006 when they were in their second season as an F1 outfit, but they had been born from the ashes of the old Jaguar team, who had not experienced much success.

The Brit - whose car designs have won 25 world championships over the years - went on to oversee a period as chief technical officer which yielded seven drivers' championships and six constructors' titles, before leaving Red Bull in 2024.

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Now, Newey finds himself at Aston Martin, where he is attempting to steer the ambitious outfit to championship success for the first time once new regulations sweep into the sport in 2026.

But Newey has revealed that there are some similarities between Red Bull back in 2006, and Aston Martin now, saying that there is 'deja vu' for him at the moment.

"It was just the ashes of the Jaguar team, which had been under Ford's management for many years without ever achieving significant success," Newey said of the early Red Bull days on the James Allen F1 podcast. "As a result, people had started to lose hope of ever winning a race.

"As soon as you stop believing in your abilities, everything falls apart: complacency sets in, laziness too, and a lack of self-confidence creeps in. Without vigilance, a culture of blame can also take hold.

"So it was a difficult scourge to eradicate at Red Bull. I won't say too much, but there's a bit of deja vu right now."

Can Aston Martin claim championship success?

Since joining the team as their managing technical partner in March, Newey has not been involved with the development of the 2025 car, instead fully focusing on how the team can get ahead of the curve for 2026.

The new regulations are some of the most comprehensive changes that F1 has ever seen, and it does represent a chance for some smaller teams to shake up the current competitive order in F1.

Aston Martin have a two-time world champion in Fernando Alonso already in their car, and have a brand new state-of-the-art facility in Silverstone which has become Newey's workplace.

On top of this, they have a hugely ambitious owner in Lawrence Stroll who is willing to put his money where his mouth is in order to help the team become a championship-winning outfit.

Alonso will certainly be hoping that Newey and Aston Martin can come up with a car in which he can challenge for a 33rd career grand prix win, having not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.

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