Jon Noble: Why Newey’s myth-busting correction is bad news for Aston Martin’s rivals

Throughout the summer of speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s Formula 1 future, there seemed to have become a perception that if any team wanted him, they would have to fit it around the demands of someone typically at the end of their career.

Off the back of his most recent Red Bull contract that was for only a specified number of days (believed to be around 150 per year and certainly not full-time), various rumours surfaced about him wanting to work no more than three days per week. There were even stories – and who knows where they originated from - of him wanting to set up a remote base in South Africa where he could operate from rather than being factory-based.

This belief that Newey did not want to be as engaged in F1 as he had been in the past was further fuelled by him getting heavily involved in projects like the Aston Martin Valkyrie or the RB17.

There were also comments from Red Bull itself, that repeatedly explained how Newey had a certain degree of freedom to get his hands dirty and then step away from F1 as he wished. Speaking at the end of last year, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “Adrian is a big part of this team and big part of what we've achieved but of course, his role has evolved over the last few years and the technical team beneath him led by Pierre Wache, they're doing a wonderful job and so that they're not reliant on Adrian. He has the ability to come in, come out and work on other projects and I think that's part of the evolution of any team."

But the reality of what Newey actually wanted, and was willing to offer, became crystal clear during his press conference appearance at Aston Martin this week, when confirmation of his deal with the team was made public.

Rather than there be a need for Aston Martin to accommodate itself around any demands he had with regards to time and commitment, the situation was actually the opposite. He is all-in to do what the team needs. Newey’s stance, he suggested, has been constant: offering whatever works best for those around him.

Newey's first public outing for Aston Martin revealed much about his outlook - even if he doesn't start until next March

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

“I don't know where three days a week ever came from,” he said, before explaining how the previous contract at Red Bull had evolved in the way it had because it was what suited the team and company. “I think that at Red Bull - we are not here [to talk] about Red Bull - but it is well known that in 2014 with the hybrid engine, we were in a position where we didn't have a competitive PU with no light at the end of the tunnel. That's when I felt I needed something else to also be involved in, which of course became the Valkyrie.

“Once we got the Honda PU, we were in a different position, so then I got properly back involved on the F1 side with the [RB] 14, 15, 16, 16b and then the 18 and so forth. It is now a very mature team, so I felt able - now that we have got through the peak of the research and design of the '22 car, the big regulation change car - to step back a bit because the '23 and this year's car are very much evolutions of that '22 car.

“This [Aston Martin] is something different. It is that fresh challenge, that new stimulation. I always do what I feel is needed for the best of the team.”

"I want to be in the centre of everything. Moving teams is always a big commitment to try to understand how everybody works, to engage with them and be involved in shaping things if necessary. Once I start, I will be fully in - I need to be, I have to be" Adrian Newey

Newey has not only committed to going full-time, but he’s probably more advanced in knowing what he is getting involved in than many other people would be still under contract to their current employer.

Newey is not free to start work for Aston Martin until 1 March next year, and it is understood his appearance at Aston Martin’s factory announcement on Tuesday raised some eyebrows at Red Bull, given he is officially still an employee.

Having had that not-so-secret factory tour by team owner Lawrence Stroll before the Spanish Grand Prix to be shown what Aston Martin had to offer, Newey was spotted after his press conference having another walkaround accompanied by senior staff, including incoming CEO Andy Cowell.

Newey has already started to take a step back from his roles at Red Bull

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

While Newey is not the type of person who would do anything outside of his contract to lend an early hand to Aston Martin’s on-track efforts, even just getting a better feel of the factory and its staff at this stage will be a huge help in getting him up to speed quicker when he finally gets his feet under his desk there.

But if a fired-up full-time Newey with a little bit of a head start is probably not what Aston Martin’s rivals want to hear about, there is another aspect to the timing of his arrival that bodes well for his new bosses.

For if there have been times in his career when Newey felt a bit jaded by F1’s politics, the intensity of the calendar or the competitive picture, he is going to rock up at Silverstone in March as keen as mustard to get on with it.

“I want to be in the centre of everything,” he remarked this week. “Moving teams is always a big commitment to try to understand how everybody works, to engage with them and be involved in shaping things if necessary. It takes time and takes commitment. So for sure, once I start, I will be fully in - I need to be, I have to be.

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“The good news though is that I have really been in motor racing, working at the track since 1982 in Formula 2 and then in the IndyCar in America and Formula 1 in 1988, pretty much non-stop without a break. So far, the summer has been a little busier than Mandy [his wife] and I had originally anticipated.

“But [on] Thursday, we are going to go and take a bit of holiday and take a bit of a break. I have obviously got my RB17 commitments to balance, but [there will be] a bit of a break to enjoy ourselves so that, when March comes, I am fully rested and raring to go.”

Refreshed. Motivated. Excited. And all-in. It’s when Newey is at his very best.

What impact will Newey have on Aston Martin?

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images