Adrian Newey explains how AI is used in Formula 1: when asked about ChatGPT, he can’t hold back
Adrian Newey clears up a common misunderstanding: in Formula 1, artificial intelligence is not a chatbot that “designs” the car, but a set of highly specialised tools built around very specific problems. Aston Martin focuses on analysis, measurements and simulations, and when the topic of ChatGPT comes up, the response is a loud and unmistakable laugh.
On the eve of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, there is one detail Adrian Newey wants to address immediately, because the term AI has created a misleading mental shortcut: the idea that an F1 team develops a car by asking an online assistant what to do. The brilliant British designer, who from 2026 will take on an even more central role at Aston Martin, also serving as team principal, explains it with his usual honesty. Machine learning and artificial intelligence have existed for years, but today they are often presented as if they were something entirely new.
“Machine learning has existed for a very long time, and in a sense it has been replaced by artificial intelligence as the buzzword: now everyone knows what artificial intelligence is. In reality, the artificial intelligence that most people use on a daily basis is largely based on simple internet searches and pattern recognition.”
This is where the real divide appears. Formula 1 uses something very different, because it works with proprietary data and with problems that do not have ready-made answers available online.
Why Aston Martin is not using ChatGPT to develop the car
The sentence that shuts the door on the misunderstanding is crystal clear. “We use machine learning, or artificial intelligence, for much more specific tasks, and therefore our use of artificial intelligence is incredibly tailored. Generally, we don’t use anything that comes from the internet because we are far too specialised to do so, but there are cases where we use pattern recognition to help with relatively simple tasks and even with race strategy through simulation and game theory.”
And when he is asked directly whether he uses ChatGPT, the 67-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon bursts into a hearty laugh. That, quite simply, is not the tool used to build a technical advantage in Formula 1.
In other words, AI does not “invent” the car in place of the designers. It is there to highlight signals within huge volumes of data, to speed up analysis and to compare different scenarios. Human intuition remains central, especially when it comes to interpreting a new set of regulations and operating in the famous “grey area” without crossing the line.
Where AI really matters: wind tunnel, measurements and computing power
In the story surrounding the development of the AMR26, artificial intelligence comes into play in a very concrete area: the wind tunnel and the interpretation of airflow data. Aston Martin also works with CoreWeave technology, which is mentioned as providing computing support and software for advanced analysis.
Newey remains cautious when it comes to the most sensitive details. “There are more advanced applications, but I’d rather not talk about them at the moment.” He also explains why this technological race never truly ends. “What is a novelty today will be virtually obsolete in 12 months’ time. It’s almost as if we have to keep opening our minds to what is available, not on a daily basis, but certainly on a six-monthly basis, in order to extract the maximum benefit as things evolve.”
In Formula 1, artificial intelligence is not a toy. It is an accelerator—but only if you already know exactly where you are going.
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