F1 Insider Suggests Adrian Newey's Aston Martin Move May 'Not Guarantee Success'

Former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley has pointed out that Formula 1's legendary designer Adrian Newey's move to Aston Martin in March 2025 may "not guarantee success" that the squad has been seeking amid its failure to improve the AMR24 F1 car in 2024. Priestley's comments pour cold water over the ambitions and hopes of Aston Martin to revolutionize its car in the coming years, especially with its new state-of-the-art facility in Silverstone that houses all the necessary infrastructure that a top team needs to win in Formula 1.

Newey was Red Bull's chief technical officer who designed the team's dominant cars in the current ground effect era, the most popular one being 2023's RB19 F1 car that helped the team win 21 out of the 22 Grands Prix and was responsible for Max Verstappen's third Formula 1 championship. However, the 19-year association came to an end when the aero guru announced his exit in May. He is slated to join Aston Martin as the chief technical partner and shareholder.

While Aston Martin is hopeful that Newey's input will positively impact the car’s performance in 2026, including two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who is eager to return to fighting for top positions, Priestley shared his concerns. He noted that developing an F1 car is a team effort and pointed to the team's struggles to score points this season, a stark contrast to its podium finishes in 2023. He suggested that this ongoing form could hinder Aston Martin's progress. He explained, as reported by PlanetF1:

“Adrian Newey is a fantastic engineer and has a brilliant mind, but one individual does not guarantee success when developing a new F1 car.

“I’m not saying that Aston Martin don’t have a great team, but we’ve seen evidence that they have been pretty unsuccessful in designing a good car and then developing that car throughout the season.

“Newey is joining a team with very limited success, but Aston Martin have just attained new state-of-the-art factories and the team is growing rapidly.”

With Newey joining Aston Martin in March, his influence is expected to be reflected in the team's 2025 challenger, likely towards the latter part of the season. On the other hand, Red Bull is currently developing the 2025 RB21 F1 car, its first car without Newey's input. As a result, it remains to be seen whether Red Bull can maintain its competitive edge without his involvement.