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SILVERSTONE, UK -- In the newly-opened second building at Aston Martin's Formula One factory, executive chairman Lawrence Stroll beamed on the stage.
This day had been awaited for months. For Stroll, it had been years in the making.
As outgoing Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey took to the stage, Stroll met his gaze, shook his hand, and drew him in for an embrace. They'd been in the same circles for decades, on opposing teams in the F1 paddock for nearly 10 years, and shared many gyms in hotels worldwide.
"He was on the bike, and I was on the treadmill behind him, trying to catch up with him!" Stroll joked.
Now, Stroll had caught him.
From Mar. 1 next year, Newey, the most successful designer in F1 history, will don Aston Martin green and put his prowess behind the push to create the next great F1 team. He will become a shareholder in the team and take on the role of managing technical partner in a deal that will make Newey one of the highest earners in British sport.
Stroll hailed it as "the most exciting news in our Aston Martin Formula One history, and probably the most exciting news in Formula One in general." He called Newey "a gentleman and a winner."
The latest -- and arguably most significant -- part of Stroll's master plan had arrived. A major statement of intent. And for Newey, the start of the next chapter in a glittering F1 career.
During a turbulent start to Red Bull's season, Newey's decision to leave, made over the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, was a big shock.
Not long after it first emerged he was seeking to leave, Red Bull confirmed his exit after agreeing on the terms of his release. He'd focus on delivering Red Bull's no-rules hypercar, the RB17, for the remainder of his time at the team before leaving in the first quarter of 2025. There'd be no gardening leave to follow; he'd be a free agent.
That detail quickly sparked interest from across the F1 grid. Every team knew just what an asset Newey could be to their design groups and, more importantly, the message it would send to their rivals. Newey admitted in Tuesday's news conference that he was "very flattered to have a lot of approaches from various teams."
Pursuing Newey fits the Aston Martin model entirely. It had a history of making big, ambitious swoops for top F1 talent, be it Sebastian Vettel in 2020, Fernando Alonso in 2022, or even Dan Fallows, who worked under Newey through Red Bull's F1 domination. When talks officially opened with Newey, Aston Martin was ready to show him it was serious.
"I believe this is meant to be," Stroll said.
Moving to McLaren or Williams would have been romantic, given that Newey won his first two championships with them. Williams team principal James Vowles was candid about his interest in Newey. McLaren remained coy -- yes, someone like him would appeal, but the team has firm confidence in its existing technical group, which has propelled it into 2024's championship fight.
Ferrari was the most conspicuous link for Newey. He'd come close in the past to moving to Maranello, only to decide to remain with Red Bull each time. For a team that had already made a statement by signing Lewis Hamilton for 2025, and with Hamilton supportive of a move, Newey would surely be a sign that Ferrari meant business. In Miami, one F1 team principal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "That's where I'd put my money right now."
But a few weeks later, around Monaco, Ferrari's interest had cooled. The numbers floating around about Newey's salary were creeping higher, with multiple paddock sources putting it north of £25 million ($32.7 million) per year. Although such a figure would be exempt from the budget cap, given the top three earners are outside of it, it would still require a significant outlay for any team to justify.
Newey himself was in zero rush to make a decision. He was enjoying a bit of time away from the F1 race track. At Goodwood in June, for the launch of the RB17, he told The Athletic: "I just need to take a bit of time out and then go from there."
Even if Newey was relaxed about what might come next, by late June, Aston Martin already looked like his most likely destination.
"In the end, it became a very clear and natural choice," Newey said on Tuesday.
To sell Aston Martin to the greatest designer in F1 history, one would need to go beyond simply pointing to its on-track performances, particularly in 2024.
Aston Martin was the breakout team in early 2023, running as the second-fastest team behind Red Bull. Alonso was a podium regular, immediately justifying his decision to join the team, and came within one correct pit call of winning the Monaco Grand Prix. But as the year wore on, it couldn't keep up with the rate of development, causing it to slump to fifth in the final standings. 2024 offered more of the same. Alonso and Stroll haven't finished a race any higher than fifth and are confined to scrapping for occasional points.
The goal has always been the long-term for Aston Martin. As of 2026, it will become Honda's works team, a status most perceive as a major advantage under the overhauled technical regulations when integrating the new power units into the cars. The first phase of its state-of-the-art factory at Silverstone opened last year, and its new, in-house wind tunnel is set to enter operation in 2025 - an important step for any team with championship aspirations.
Aston Martin was eager to show Newey what it was putting together at Silverstone, paving the way for a secret visit to the factory in June. Stroll said this was a "critically important" moment to give Newey a visual representation of the team's project and ambition.
"The combination of seeing all the facilities, how nice a feel and how well thought out the building is, and perhaps most of all, that very visual demonstration," Newey said. "If I had to describe Lawrence in one sentence, (I'd say) he has total belief, he has a direction, and he's happy to be put all his chips on black, and that's what he's done."
"In this case," Stroll chipped in, "green."
Convinced by Stroll's plan, the summer proved busier than Newey would have liked as they neared an agreement on terms before the deal was finalized last week. He plans to take some holiday with his wife, Mandy, to recharge before seeing out his time with Red Bull and starting the new challenge next year.
For Newey, the move also allows him to remedy what he has previously referred to as one of his great career regrets: never working with Alonso.
Alonso has always held Newey in high regard. He recently received an Aston Martin Valkyrie, the hypercar Newey designed when Red Bull partnered with the British manufacturer. Until recent months, that would have been the only Newey-designed car Alonso would have had the pleasure of driving. Now under contract until at least the end of 2026 and envisioning a relationship with Aston Martin that reaches beyond his driving career, Alonso will finally get to see first-hand how Newey's mind works and benefit from his input.
"We've battled against each other for so many years, he's been a bit of an arch-enemy at times," Newey joked. "And we came so close to him joining Red Bull for 2009, but unfortunately, it didn't quite happen. We continued to battle against each other. He's a legend of the sport. Very much looking forward to working with him."
Alonso referred to Newey as an "inspiration" for their battles over the years. "Thanks to Adrian and his talent and his cars, I think we all got better as drivers, as engineers, as teams," Alonso said. "We all had to raise the bar, thanks to him, to be able to compete. It's an incredible day for the team."
It always takes time for a new signing to have an impact, particularly regarding car design. Newey's thoughts will naturally be welcome as Aston Martin looks toward 2025 when the cars are set to be mild evolutions of this year's models, before all focus goes to 2026. That is the real opportunity for Aston Martin to take a step forward and get back among F1's front-runners, and where it will hope Newey's influence can shine through.
"We would love to have a good 2025, naturally," Newey said. "But for me, it's just about learning, it's working with everybody and us trying to all get the best out of each other. That's the key. And everything else falls out from there."
Newey is set to work full-time at Aston Martin, upping his hours from the past couple of years at Red Bull. "This is something different," he said. "It's a fresh challenge, new stimulation. I always do what I feel is needed for the best of the team." He has yet to pick his office that will house his famous design board, the pencil sketches that have evolved into championship-winning cars for the better part of the last 30 years.
Newey's arrival coincides with a report from Sky News that two of the world's largest investment funds are about to invest in Aston Martin, with the deals valuing the company at over $1.5 billion. Considering Stroll purchased the team when it was Force India for $117 million and saved it from closure, it's a staggering return on investment.
Stroll was confident the same would prove true of Newey, calling him a "bargain," even when on a higher salary than all but the very top earners on the F1 grid. "It's relatively inexpensive for everything Adrian brings in the partnership we will have," he said.
Signing Newey is also further proof to anyone watching that Stroll is serious about his intention to turn Aston Martin into the next great F1 team. After signing Vettel, Alonso, Fallows from Red Bull, and Enrico Cardile from Ferrari, getting the Honda works deal from 2026, and establishing an all-new factory at Silverstone, Newey could be the biggest coup of them all.
"Adrian is key, key, key, and the biggest part of the puzzle, certainly from a leadership and technical point of view," Stroll said.
"He will be leading the team, and I think that will have a trickle-down effect throughout the whole organization."