Andy Cowell has described Adrian Newey‘s first day at Aston Martin, revealing the F1 design legend engaged himself with the engineers immediately after arrival.
Widely regarded as one of Formula 1’s most influential and successful car designers, his arrival marks a huge milestone for the Silverstone-based team, which has ambitious plans to establish itself as a championship contender in the coming seasons.
Adrian Newey’s first day at Aston Martin has already demonstrated his commitment to excellence and his ability to seamlessly integrate into the team’s operations as the legendary F1 designer officially embarked on his new role as Managing Technical Partner.
The 66-year-old design legend began his tenure at Aston Martin on March 3, following nearly two decades of success with Red Bull Racing.
READ ALSO: When and why did Adrian Newey decide to leave Red Bull?
Newey’s transition was highly anticipated with team owner Lawrence Stroll describing him as “the greatest in the world at what he does” and a pivotal piece of the puzzle for Aston Martin’s technical aspirations.
Stroll’s vision for the team includes leveraging Newey’s expertise to transform Aston Martin into a dominant force in Formula 1, particularly under the new technical regulations set to take effect in 2026.
Cowell on Newey’s first day at Aston Martin
Newey wasted no time getting to work upon his arrival. According to newly appointed Team Principal and Group CEO Andy Cowell, Newey’s first day at Aston Martin was characterized by an immediate dive into technical discussions.
Cowell described how Newey walked into his office at the AMR Technology Campus, placed his briefcase down, and joined a concept meeting almost instantly. This proactive approach underscores Newey’s engineering grit and dedication to contributing to the team’s success from day one.
“There’s been huge interest in Adrian’s arrival but he’s not one for great ceremony,” said the Briton in an interview published on the official Aston Martin website.
“He walked into his office at the AMR Technology Campus, put his briefcase down, and was in a concept meeting almost straight away, discussing an area of the car.
“He’s embedded himself immediately. He’s met all our exec team and quickly immersed himself with our engineers, attentively listening to what people are saying about the work they’ve done.
“Ultimately, he’s an engineer helping engineer our race cars. He just rolled his sleeves up and got straight into the job. He’s asking questions, he’s offering opinions and he’s bringing a fresh perspective. We’re delighted to have him.“
Adrian Newey’s first day at Aston Martin indicates his initial focus is twofold: improving the AMR25 car for the 2025 F1 season and preparing for the significant technical regulation changes coming in 2026 F1.
The latter represents a critical opportunity for the team to close the gap with leading teams and establish itself as a championship contender.
Cowell expressed confidence in Newey’s ability to contribute meaningfully to both projects, highlighting his track record of designing cars that have won multiple titles during periods of regulation change.
“Adrian knows full well… he’s a creative genius when it comes to race cars,“ he added. “He’s very competitive, but he knows it’s the strength of the whole organisation.
“I think that’s one of the things that he’s attracted to, with regards to Lawrence’s vision of having all the building blocks in place.“
The restructuring within Aston Martin ahead of Newey’s arrival further demonstrates the team’s commitment to maximizing efficiency and fostering collaboration.
Cowell explained that organizational changes have been implemented to create a flatter structure with improved communication between trackside operations and factory development teams.
“Everybody’s responsibilities are clear,” he said. “There’s a strong executive team in place already at Silverstone.
“We’re adding to that with experienced technical leaders. But every single one of those people you’ve mentioned understand that it’s a team game, and everybody’s got their own individual strengths.
“It’s about harnessing all those individual strengths, gluing it together, and making sure that… we’ve got great competitive ingenuity.
“We’ll work as a team, and we’ll give each other open, honest feedback. I’m very open to that myself and all the people that I’m working with.“
All eyes on Australian Grand Prix
As Aston Martin prepares for the 2025 F1 season opening Australian Grand Prix, Cowell shared his excitement about seeing the AMR25 car compete. Winter testing data and driver feedback have shown promise regarding the car’s drivability and performance improvements.
“We’re all excited to be in Australia and experience the thrill of our first race of the season,” he commented. “Naturally, we cannot wait to hit the track with the AMR25; we’re racers – competing on the track is where we want to be.
“Our efforts over the winter have been focused on making the car more driveable and benign for our drivers. The data from testing and the feedback from both Lance and Fernando suggests we have made steps forward in this regard, but now we want to confirm this progress at the 2025 f1 season opener.
“There are still areas of the car we need to continue to improve – you’re always learning in F1 – so having a race weekend’s worth of data will be invaluable as we look to develop the car.”
