Adrian Newey’s hiring by Aston Martin has come at a hefty price for the Silverstone-based squad, but Lawrence Stroll believes the deal is a “bargain” given the legendary F1 designer’s immense talent.
Aston Martin confirmed on Tuesday that Newey will join the British outfit in March 2025 as its Managing Technical Partner, a newly created role that will see the Briton lead the team’s design and engineering department.
However, Newey's arrival comes with a lucrative salary package, rumored to be worth an estimated $100 million of a five-year period, as well as with a stake in AMR GP Holdings Limited, the parent owner of the Aston martin F1 team.
While eye-watering by any standards, Stroll firmly believes that the value Newey brings far outweighs the costs involved.
"I can tell you, Adrian is a bargain," Stroll said on Tuesday. "I've been in business for over 40 years now and I've never been more certain. It's not an investment. He's a shareholder and a partner.
"He's the best partner I can bring into a company, we intend to be around here a very long time together. So it's relatively inexpensive for everything Adrian brings in the partnership we will have."
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Aston Martin has been on an aggressive recruitment drive in recent months, bolstering its technical team with high-profile signings, including former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile.
Cardile will join the team in 2025 as Chief Technical Officer, working alongside current technical director Dan Fallows. However, Newey’s leadership will serve as the focal point for Aston Martin’s technical direction.
Stroll emphasized that the exact configuration of the technical department would be left to Newey, giving the 65-year-old the freedom to shape the team as he sees fit.
"Adrian is joining as technical managing partner," he added. "He will be the leader of the technical team - a leader also in the company, the business as a partner and shareholder, so I leave the [technical] structure up to Adrian, who is much better suited than myself.
With his day-to-day involvement, Newey is expected to provide full-time leadership and guidance to the entire team, a prospect that Stroll believes will have a ripple effect throughout the organization.
"We have a strong team, some of which Adrian has already worked with,” Stroll said. “He'll be here on a day-to-day basis, he'll be here full-time, committed to Formula 1, giving leadership and direction to his team."
Stroll’s investment in Newey marks the final piece in a larger strategic puzzle that has been in the works since he took over Aston Martin F1 six years ago.
“There have been many pieces of the puzzle from when we started six years ago," the Canadian said.
"We've brought Aramco to be our partner, and to be able to bring Honda exclusively to work for us for the next five years after the new regulation starts [is important]."
"Adrian is key, key, key, and the biggest part of the puzzle, certainly from a technical leadership point of view, knowing that he will be leading the team – and I think that will have a trickle-down effect throughout the whole organisation."
With Newey at the helm of its technical division, Aston Martin is aiming to make its mark at the front of the grid, with Stroll’s vision of a world championship team moving closer to reality.
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