Adrian Newey almost retired from F1, but was brought back by Honda

Newey on the grid in Qatar — Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin

Adrian Newey almost retired from F1, but was brought back by Honda

Adrian Newey left Red Bull in 2024

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Saturday 11 April 2026 19:03

Adrian Newey was close to retiring and 'designing yachts' before Honda brought him back, according to an F1 insider.

Newey has claimed 26 world championship titles across his illustrious career, and is largely regarded as the greatest car designer in F1 history.

He has worked with some legendary teams including Williams and McLaren, and more recently has been tasked with turning small teams into championship contenders, as he did successfully with Red Bull and is now trying to emulate with Aston Martin.

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67-year-old Newey joined Aston Martin back in March 2025, and is being tasked with trying to turn the Silverstone-based outfit into a championship-contending team.

It means that the Brit is working with Honda once more, with the Japanese car manufacturers powering the Aston Martin cars from this year onwards.

"There's been speculation that this has been too damaging for the relationship to recover. I don't think that's the case. It's just, Formula 1 is quite brutal sometimes, isn't it?"

Honda-Newey reunion not going to plan

With Newey now back working with Honda power units, there was a lot of expectation on the Aston Martin team, particularly with new regulations sweeping into the sport this year.

But that has certainly not gone to plan. Honda have had reliability and power output issues with their 2026 power unit, while Newey's AMR26 chassis is by no means perfect either.

It has culminated in just one grand prix finish for the team so far, with Fernando Alonso reaching the chequered flag at the Japanese Grand Prix, while world championship points seem highly unlikely at this stage.

Newey initially joined Aston Martin as managing technical partner, but has since taken on team principal duties too. Time will tell as to whether the Brit continues on in the dual role, or Aston Martin opt to sign a full-time team principal so Newey can focus on car design and performance.

F1 Red Bull Aston Martin Adrian Newey Honda