Adrian Newey’s got a bit of waiting to do before he can jump into his new role at Aston Martin. The legendary F1 designer won’t be able to start until March 2nd – and he’s currently stuck in what’s known as “gardening leave” after leaving Red Bull Racing.
It’s not like he can secretly sketch out new designs at home either. Red Bull’s made sure he can’t access any of his usual design tools.
But you can bet he’s already thinking about how to make Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll‘s cars faster for 2025.
The real challenge? He’s joining Aston Martin just as F1’s getting ready for its massive 2026 rule changes. Teams have been working on their 2026 cars since January 1st.
“I’ll already be kind of two months behind the curve,” Newey admitted on Autocar’s podcast.
But that’s not the only hurdle he’s facing.
The design genius can’t even look at the new technical regulations properly right now. “With the way the regulations have gone, you really need to be in front of a CAD system to understand all the boxes and requirements – they’re so prescribed,” he explained.
There’s also the human side of things to consider. “It will be getting to know a new team, getting to know all the guys and girls there and how we all work together,” Newey said.
After helping Red Bull dominate F1 for years, Newey’s facing perhaps his biggest challenge yet: helping Aston Martin catch up to the front of the grid while playing catch-up himself.
