Aston Martin chief sends 'beautiful' Adrian Newey message as F1 genius returns at last

Aston Martin F1 ambassador Pedro de la Rosa had some kind words to say about design legend Adrian Newey, as he returned to the paddock.

Newey is the team principal at Aston Martin, but has been away from race weekends in recent rounds after feeling under the weather.

It's understood that Newey has still been taking on some duties back home in Silverstone, as he attempts to turn Aston Martin's fortunes around after a dismal start to the 2026 season.

Amid Newey and Honda's arrivals, Aston Martin were hoping to be challenging for podiums and race wins, but reliability issues and a lack of power from their Honda power unit has meant that they are sat rock bottom of the constructors' championship, without a single point.

Newey is present at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, but didn't take up media duties, with that responsibility falling to former F1 driver De la Rosa.

Spaniard De la Rosa was full of compliments for his boss, claiming it is 'beautiful' to see how well he works with the team's drivers; Lance Stroll and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

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Adrian Newey's F1 legacy

Newey-designed cars have claimed 26 world championship titles all-told, and such is the Brit's longevity that certain characters have worked with him multiple times.

De la Rosa, for example, was a driver for McLaren in 2005 and 2006, testing and racing Newey-designed cars, and he has explained the legacy of the 67-year-old in the sport.

"Well, I mean, the only difference really is that I’m not driving his cars anymore, unfortunately," De la Rosa told an official press conference in Monaco.

"But I see no difference whatsoever on Adrian. He’s working flat out, his work ethic is outstanding.

"He’s one of those engineers that always listens to the driver more than anyone I’ve ever worked with, which is really beautiful to see as a former driver, because nowadays in this modern world where data is taking over, you sometimes talk with an engineer and they’re looking at the screen, they’re looking at your face, and they don’t know if it’s the data right or you are right. With Adrian, he’s just writing your comments in a notebook.

"I remember in Australia 2005, for example, when I drove the third car, you remember when we had the third car in free practice? I did a few laps and he asked me one only question. He said, 'Why can’t you go any faster into Turn 1?' And I said, 'Well, I go into Turn 1, I turn the wheel and the car just understeers off, so I cannot go any faster.' And he said, 'Show me how much you steer in that corner in that corner, in the apex.'"

"And I did like this with the hands, more or less. And he said, 'ok, that’s six degrees. In the wind tunnel, we cannot go over six degrees, because if we go over six degrees, we cannot turn the car and generate that yaw and steer. But I have some ideas.'

"So anyway, he wrote down, left hand, and then came back to the next race, he had made some changes in the front wing and the car was a lot less steer-sensitive. And that’s Adrian, just listening to the driver. And what makes him special is that actually he delivers.

"Anyway, great to see him in the team, really. He’s a great leader and someone that is truly inspirational for all of us and for so many young engineers that have joined Aston Martin."

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