Adrian Newey admits that his secret tour earlier this summer of Aston Martin’s new state-of-the-art factory at Silverstone painted a compelling picture of team owner Lawrence Stroll’s unwavering ambitions in Formula 1.
The 65-year-old British engineer, known as one of the most successful and innovative technical minds in F1 history, will be joining Aston Martin next March as the outfit’s new Managing Technical Partner.
But during his early talks with the team, Newey was treated by Stroll to a royal tour of Aston’s new facility, a sprawling, cutting-edge campus designed to propel the team into a new era and to the top tier of the sport.
The visit, though under wraps at the time, proved crucial in forming the foundation for Newey's decision to join the team as both the Briton and Stroll confirmed on Tuesday.
“Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I have ever met,” commented Stroll in the team’s official press release.
“When he saw what we have built at Silverstone – our incredible AMR Technology Campus, the talented group of people we have assembled and the latest wind tunnel in the sport – he quickly understood what we are trying to achieve. We mean business – and so does he.”
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If Newey had any doubts about Stroll’s ambitions and determination, they were quickly put to rest during his visit of Aston Martin’s massively impressive infrastructure.
“It’s not an easy thing to do to build a brand new factory in a greenfield site and have a really nice, warm, creative feel to it,” he said.
“Because after all that’s what we’re here for, to try to be creative and to come up with good solutions. Particularly with good communication between everybody that works here.
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“I’ve seen some new buildings that haven’t quite fulfilled that. But this one has a great feel, the proportions are right, it has all the facilities.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right. I’m so looking forward to starting, to getting to know everybody here. To work with them and go from there.”
More than just a physical space, Team Silverstone’s factory and headquarters are a clear reflection of Stroll’s enduring vision and commitment to success in F1.
The ambitious project, a massive investment undertaken by the Canadian billionaire after acquiring and rebranding the team, showed Newey that Aston Martin and its dedicated owner are dead serious about their future in F1.
“I think it’s a real demonstration of Lawrence’s commitment to envision for where he wants the team to get to,” he said.
“I don’t know how much it costs, but it’s not going to be cheap. So it really demonstrates that, I mean, I’ll find other ways of spending money now for him within the cost cap.”
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“I think we all know nothing good is cheap. But, yeah, I think that was perhaps the combination of seeing all the facilities, how nice a feel and how well thought out the building is, and perhaps most of all that very visual demonstration of Lawrence actually.
“If I had to describe Lawrence in one sentence, I think one of the things that I always think of is he has total belief, he has a direction, and he’s happy to put all his chips on black, and that’s what he’s doing here.”
With Newey set to join in 2025 and the Silverstone factory fully operational, the stage is set for Aston Martin to become a formidable force in Formula 1.
The partnership between Stroll's bold vision and Newey's technical brilliance could prove to be a game-changer, as the team looks to battle at the sharp end of the grid.
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