Adrian Newey, the most celebrated designer in Formula 1 history, has opened up about the powerful mix of pressure and passion driving his latest challenge – crafting Aston Martin’s first car for the new 2026 F1 regulations.
The 65-year-old engineering icon, whose designs have claimed more than 200 race victories and multiple world titles, is now leading Aston Martin’s technical project for the new chassis and power unit era.
Speaking in a revealing interview published on Aston’s website, Newey admitted that even after decades at the top, a “fear of failure” continues to fuel his relentless pursuit of performance and success.
A Design Trance Driven by Fear
“Some of the motivation is that fear of failure,” Newey confessed.
“I've tried to learn to use that constructively, because it's the difference between too much pressure, or pressure mismanaged, causing mistakes, versus leading to quite a focused and tunnel vision-like state.”
Since joining Aston Martin earlier this year, Newey has thrown himself into the monumental task of shaping the team’s 2026 contender – a car that must comply with F1’s sweeping new aerodynamic and engine rules.
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But his total immersion in design hasn’t gone unnoticed at home.
“My wife, over the last three, four months, since I've joined the team, complains that I'm in a design trance, and I understand what she means, that I don't see left and right, and I'm probably not terribly sociable.”
“What limited processing power I have is all concentrated on the task at hand, given these pressing deadlines. But that's not a state to stay in for too long, and that all sounds quite egotistical as well.”
Despite the personal intensity of his work, Newey was quick to underline the collective nature of success in Formula .
“It's really ultimately all about the team and how we work together.”
Building a New Era at Aston Martin
Newey described the current moment as one of transformation for Aston Martin’s Silverstone-based operation, which has rapidly expanded its workforce and facilities in anticipation of 2026.
“The honest answer is, I have absolutely no idea. We are in a period of transformation,” he admitted when asked what he expects from the team’s first 2026 car.
©AstonMartin
“We've, as a team, grown rapidly. It's really in a now settling down phase. Having grown hugely in numbers, we now need to settle everybody down, get them working well together.”
“I've never been a believer in saying we will now achieve this or now achieve that. I think the satisfaction comes from working together to move forwards. If we can achieve that in 2026, that will be the first tick.”
Inside the Mind of an F1 Design Genius
Newey also shared rare insights into his creative process and leadership style. Rather than relying solely on large meetings, he prefers close collaboration with engineers to spark new ideas.
“We are a team of around 300 engineers. Collaboration of course is the most important single aspect and in many ways more than individual talents within the organisation.”
“It's how we all work together [and] make sure that we communicate and we extract the most from each other.
©Aston Martin
“For me personally, what does that mean? Well, it means I spend probably around 50% of my day at the moment working with the other engineers, either at a one-to-one level, gathered around a CAD [computer-aided design] station, or in meetings.
“I generally, if I'm honest, prefer the former, because I think one-to-one meetings are quite often where you can do the brainstorm ones.
“The big meetings, if you're not careful, become procedural information exchanges without actually coming up with new ideas, which is, of course, the important bit. So we need a mixture.”
Racing the Clock to 2026
With the new regulations looming, Aston Martin’s technical team is working flat-out to hit key milestones. The first behind-closed-doors test is scheduled for late January – leaving precious little time to finalize major components.
“We're under intense pressure for deadlines to get the major architectural parts of the car, which is the gearbox, followed by the chassis, the front suspension, the rear suspension, etc, released in time for testing in January,” Newey revealed.
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“In truth, [I'm] probably spending a bit more time than I would like, about 50% of my time, at the drawing board or looking at the CFD [computational fluid dynamics], the vehicle dynamic programmes, etc, trying to make sure that we're coming up with a concept that we're all happy with.”
“I never want it to not be with everybody's involvement and buy-in.”
As Aston Martin eyes its next chapter, Newey’s combination of humility and obsession continues to define his craft.
His “fear of failure” may sound like a burden, but in his hands, it has long been a weapon – one that’s shaped some of the most dominant machines in Formula 1 history.
Now, with Aston Martin’s 2026 project underway, that same drive may yet help turn fear into the foundation of something extraordinary.
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