Aston Martin rules out Newey involvement with troubled AMR25

Aston Martin have made unequivocally clear that Adrian Newey’s expertise will not be deployed to address the current woes of Team Silverstone’s AMR25.

Instead, Newey’s attention is locked firmly on the long game – building a front-running car for the new regulations set to arrive in 2026.

The Briton’s appointment earlier this year as Managing Technical Partner, following his departure from Red Bull, was widely hailed as one of the most seismic moves in the sport’s modern era.

The move was seen as a long-term investment in the team's transformation from midfield hopefuls to title contenders. But fans hoping for a Newey-inspired turnaround this season will have to wait.

“One hundred per cent of Adrian’s designing time is focused on 2026,” team boss Andy Cowell told reporters in Jeddah on Thursday, shutting down any notion that the design guru would offer direct support to the current car.

All Eyes on 2026 Regulations

Aston Martin’s AMR25 has had a difficult start to the season, trailing rivals in performance and consistency. But Cowell made it clear that Newey’s focus is reserved for next year’s radically different machinery, designed under a fresh regulatory framework.

“He joined in March, so there was a period of him getting up to speed with the regulations, up to speed with the concept work that we've been doing in the preceding couple of months,” Cowell explained.

“And there are some tough deadlines to meet for releasing monocoque details and transmission details.”

“So getting a car ready for [the test in January] requires slightly earlier decision points, and clearly everything's new, there's zero carryover. So there's lots of work there and Adrian's just been focused on that.”

While Newey has not been assigned to diagnose or directly enhance the 2025 car, Cowell acknowledged that he had offered some early guidance.

“[His thoughts] are focused largely on the tools that we're using rather than any direct performance aspects of the 25 car,” Cowell said. “But there is value in Adrian understanding the tools that we've got, the fidelity of those tools, and the precision with which they predict what's going to happen on the racetrack.”

Impressed by the Tools, Driven to Improve Them

Although hands-off with this season’s car, Newey has been actively analyzing Aston Martin’s new state-of-the-art infrastructure, including the team’s wind-tunnel, and has already offered feedback on how the team can evolve its technical operations.

“Adrian's been hugely complimentary about the campus and has been positive about the tunnel that we've got and the way that everything's been set up,” Cowell revealed.

“He is, of course, pushing for us to improve the way we operate in the tunnel… He’s got thoughts on how to improve pretty much everything, and that's the great thing about Adrian's competitive drive.”

While 2025 may be a transitional season for Aston Martin, the presence of Newey behind the scenes signals a bold intent for the future.

For now, the team must navigate the remainder of the year without his direct input on the AMR25—but the promise of a Newey-crafted machine in 2026 keeps Silverstone’s hopes burning bright.

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