Adrian Newey will be a partial absentee from the 2025 F1 season. The British designer is nearing the end of a kind of leave imposed by Red Bull, even though he has not been part of the Milton Keynes team’s program since last year’s Japanese Grand Prix. For over eight months, the designer has been limited to working on the development of the Hypercar RB17. Recently, Adrian Newey shed light on his role at Red Bull following the announcement of his departure from Christian Horner’s team.
Although the Hypercar project began in 2021, Adrian Newey was heavily involved in the development of the RB16B. However, during the regulatory overhaul of 2022, the aerodynamics wizard admitted to being less engaged in the design of the RB20 compared to the previous three years. Beyond the organizational chaos stemming from the internal investigation into Horner, Adrian needed a new challenge. By his own admission, various factors influenced this decision, as he once thought he would end his career at Red Bull.
It’s likely that the internal environment at the Austrian team no longer suited the operating style of F1’s most talented designer. The new chapter in his career with Aston Martin will initially demand significant effort, driven by a desire to do his best and adapt to a new environment that Newey considers mature despite the team’s disappointing recent campaign. Adrian views the move to Silverstone similarly to when he left McLaren to become Red Bull’s technical director. He called it a bold, perhaps foolish, decision that ultimately proved successful.
F1, Adrian Newey: Challenges Posed by Regulations Opposed to His Vision
For Adrian Newey, 2026 will bring monumental changes, encompassing both power units and chassis design. Regarding the new architecture of the 2.0 power units, Adrian Newey has been critical of the FIA for a long time. He believes the Federation initially failed to account for the necessary adjustments to chassis and aerodynamics for future cars. The Federation’s original concept envisioned generating around 400 kW from the internal combustion engine and another 400 kW from the hybrid component, consisting solely of the MGU-K, while eliminating energy recovery from exhaust gas enthalpy.
Later, it became apparent that producing 400 kW solely from the electric component was unsustainable over a single lap, leading to a reduction to 350 kW. Adrian remains deeply concerned. The cars could be significantly slower on straights as battery packs might run out of energy. “This regulation was introduced to attract new manufacturers and retain the current ones. In that sense, it’s been a success because Audi is joining, and Honda reversed its decision to leave F1. Honestly, I would have done the opposite.”
Adrian Newey continues, “First of all, I believe the most important thing in F1 is the individuality of the cars. If the chassis and aerodynamic regulations become excessively restrictive, all cars will look the same. Look at other categories—IndyCar is the perfect example: they went from being a very successful series with many manufacturers in the mid-90s to having a single ‘garagiste,’ Dallara. Everyone drives the same car, and public interest has diminished,” says the future Aston Martin designer and shareholder. He adds:
“The shift toward electrification wasn’t driven by automotive giants’ research but imposed by most European governments. They didn’t ask manufacturers to solve a problem by seeking solutions. They said, ‘This is what we want, no exceptions. Now you must transition to full electric.’ I think electrification has its applications—it’s great technology and is developing rapidly—but imposing it as the only option without allowing manufacturers to explore alternatives is something I disagree with.”
Looking ahead, Adrian Newey explained that his primary focus from March 2 onward will be Aston Martin’s 2026 technical project. He acknowledges starting with a two-month gap compared to rivals. However, he believes the delay could be even greater as he adapts to a new F1 team, despite reuniting with some colleagues he has worked with before. Is this a strategic bluff? Perhaps, as nothing can stop the mind of a genius, even if he has yet to test his ideas with the tools at hand.
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