Adrian Newey has signed for Aston Martin in what is a huge statement signing by Lawrence Stroll.

The arrival of Adrian Newey at Aston Martin is a huge statement signing by Lawrence Stroll, one that highlights the seriousness of his ventures.

After months of speculation following confirmation of his departure from Red Bull Racing, Adrian Newey has put pen to paper on a new, long-term deal to join an increasingly impressive Aston Martin team.

Adrian Newey signing the cherry on top for Lawrence Stroll’s investments

The former Jordan/Force India squad has come a long, long way in the last five years. Ever since then-driver Sergio Perez forced the team into administration in mid-2018, the team has been going through an upward trajectory that even briefly got a little out of control at the start of 2023 as the AMR23 proved one of the quickest cars on the grid.

Since taking over the squad and creating the Racing Point entity, before evolving into Aston Martin for the 2021 season, team owner Lawrence Stroll has set about improving the infrastructure and facilities available at Silverstone. On top of that, he’s secured an exclusive engine supply deal from Honda from 2026, with the Japanese manufacturer’s flip-flopping on F1 participation resulting in a split between it and Red Bull as Milton Keynes has turned towards becoming an engine manufacturer in its own right.

Hundreds of millions have been pumped into the former Jordan factory, which is now unrecognisable as a sleek, futuristic technology campus where every facility imaginable is available to the on-site employees.

Throw in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel which is in the process of being commissioned to start its working life before the start of the F1 2025 season, and it’s clear this factory is only a few months away from Stroll being able to channel his inner Star Wars fan and declare it “the ultimate power in the (F1) universe”.

But having the very best equipment available does not a World Champion team make, and Stroll has sought to bring in the very best personnel he can secure in his bid to upset the status quo. Securing Dan Fallows as technical director, yoinking him away from Red Bull just after the start of the current ground effect regulations, proved effective to helping his team join in the fight last year, before settling into the upper midfield just behind the leading four teams this season.

But getting properly involved in the leading fight means making Aston Martin an attractive proposition for F1’s brightest and best. While securing the signatures of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso as drivers were big coups, both F1 World Champions were/are no longer at the very peak of their powers. With the driver line-up secure for the future with Alonso and Lance Stroll, going after some of F1’s leading technical personnel thus made sense as the potential untapped within Aston Martin’s facilities now reaches the point of being tappable.

Two decades ago, Christian Horner, Dany Bahar, and Dietrich Mateschitz tempted Adrian Newey into leaving the established teams he’d called home for so long, with long, successful stints at Williams and McLaren giving way to signing for the cheeky upstart Red Bull team.

It was a huge deal at the time, with Red Bull not yet seen as the serious racing entity it really was and is now. But, within a few seasons, Red Bull’s technical prowess had grown to the points where wins became achievable and, not long after, titles – the rest, as they say, is history.

Stroll is now in the position Red Bull found itself in 20 years ago. All the investment, all the improvements, all the new infrastructure – having secured someone like Newey with his incredible track record means any remaining weaknesses can be easily identified and plugged. Honda power units and Newey-overseen car designs have been at the very top for quite some time, and the appeal of a fresh challenge for Newey may be the final piece of the puzzle the Silverstone squad needs to become F1’s leading light.

Encouragingly for Newey, too, is the fact Stroll is clearly willing to spend to get what he wants, with the Canadian having sought to take even more of Red Bull’s main technical staff as Pierre Waché and Enrico Balbo were also on his shopping list – overtures which were resisted by the two men in favour of remaining loyal to Horner.

With a brand-new, state-of-the-art factory and wind tunnel at his disposal, and the appeal of a fresh challenge, who would bet against Newey helping Aston Martin create cars that are no longer just gamely hanging on to the rest, but are F1’s quickest?

However, buying Newey doesn’t mean buying championships. The arrival of such knowledge and experience will no doubt equip Aston Martin with the insight it needs, and it also means there are no longer any excuses to hide behind if the team fails to deliver over the coming years. In this regard, the drivers remain a question mark.

Fernando Alonso, as incredibly talented and relentless as he is, will be 45 years old in 2026, the first year of the new regulation set. Can the Spaniard continue to defy biology and race at his very best against considerably younger talent, as he bids to set a new record of winning a title two decades on from his last? The history books suggest not.

Lance Stroll may be a solid midfield performer and is closer to Alonso this year than last, but has never shown the spark of genius that marks out the very best – like the man in the other Aston Martin has shown on so many occasions. Put him up against a Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc, and it’s difficult to see a scenario in which Stroll comes out on top.

But the arrival of Newey changes the attractiveness of the Aston Martin project as a whole, for everyone. While Alonso and Vettel went to the team as a type of cosy retirement gig, the combination of all the above factors means Aston Martin suddenly becomes a very attractive proposition for drivers who are maybe also considering a fresh start and desire championships.

Someone like Max Verstappen, perhaps? Much has been made of his relationship with Red Bull this year, following the breakdown in relations between his father (as part of his management team) and team boss Christian Horner. While sticking plasters have been applied for the sake of keeping the peace, it’s clear the connection is no longer as unshakeable as it once was, even if reported contract escape clauses have been tidied up for now.

Under contract until F1 2028, Verstappen has suggested he’s waiting to see whether or not the new regulations are appealing to him to continue in F1, but he’s been firm in his stance that he’s closer to the end of his F1 career than the start. With leading drivers regularly having caveats in their contracts related to car performance, it’s not impossible to imagine that Verstappen has such clauses that would allow him to leave should Red Bull fail to deliver a car capable of certain minimum standards.

But if Verstappen does decide to leave Red Bull at some point, or see out his deal right to the end, might Aston Martin prove his next destination? Give Newey a few years to make an impact on Aston Martin’s direction, wait for Alonso to move on or retire, and simply slide across to reunite with the Newey/Honda combination that has given him so much over the last few years – the path almost seems to write itself.

What would be particularly interesting to see is whether Stroll would be willing to move his own son aside in order to bring Verstappen onboard, if the Dutch driver somehow finagled his way into being available for F1 2026.

Consider just how Newey has proven so historically adept at caressing new regulations into dominant machines, such as with the 1998 McLaren MP4/13, the 2009 Red Bull RB5 (even if the car was beaten to the title), or the 2022 RB18 – his input into the 2026 AMR26 can’t be underestimated at this point.

A Verstappen/Alonso combination in such a car would be a combination worth watching – box office entertainment as two alpha drivers slug it out to make history for a team with little by way of success in its past. Is that something Lawrence Stroll could resist, and just how unshakeable is his belief in his son if Verstappen did become available?

Added to that is the onboarding of new investors over the last 12 months into Aston Martin’s ownership, and the passion project that started as a means to further Lance’s career comes into sharper focus – will family come first for Lawrence if F1 greatness beckons?