Aston Martin’s successful acquisition of Adrian Newey was one of many blockbuster signings from last season. The Silverstone team will hope that Newey’s impact in 2026 can push them to the very front. As he waits to begin work at Aston Martin in March, the 66-year-old has discussed the trajectory of his now former team – Red Bull.
Adrian Newey: The car became difficult to drive At the surface, it is difficult to explain how Red Bull’s superiority over the rest of the field evaporated so quickly. Having dominated the field in unprecedented fashion in 2023, the Milton Keynes team found itself out-developed by McLaren and Ferrari over the course of last season. Traditionally, overcoming the advantage that Red Bull generated takes several seasons – if at all.
With that said, Red Bull’s decline was not necessarily a huge surprise to Adrian Newey. Having left the Austrian outfit last April, the British engineer was still involved in the RB20’s development – at least in the build-up to 2024. Crucially, for all of Newey’s obvious genius and success, his input was not always followed.
Other voices in Christian Horner’s technical structure also played a role in the path Red Bull followed last winter. Speaking in a recent interview, Adrian Newey explains that some of his reservations were not shared by his colleagues: “From what I could see..
. the ’24 car – and the very last stages of ’23 as well I would say – was starting to become more difficult to drive,.
