Aston Martin confirm Adrian Newey is involved with setting up their 2025 Formula 1 car at the Monaco Grand Prix as the legendary designer appears in the paddock in Monte Carlo.
The 66-year-old linked up with Lawrence Stroll’s team as their new managing technical partner, following his dramatic resignation from Red Bull just over a year ago.
He finally began work in March but was initially not expected to be working on their AMR25 challenger for this year, with his eyes firmly locked on the new regulations in 2026.
However, in a boost to Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll‘s seasonal goals, it turns out he does actually have one eye on the current package and is possibly behind the success of their upgrades at the Emilia Romagna GP.
That day, the team qualified fifth and eighth but struggled on the Sunday. Regardless of if that was because of the Brit’s insight, Aston Martin confirm Newey is involved with the 2025 car all the same.
“Adrian’s been welcomed well in the factory back in March,” Andy Cowell (team principal) told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “And welcomed well here.
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
“So, it’s great to have him here with the engineers during meetings, helping to look at the way we look at data, the way we set the car up.
“And also in the garage seeing how everything’s going together. Everybody’s really excited to have him on board.”
Cowell added: “He’s got his notebook. He’s looking intently at what’s going on. The pencil’s been scribbling in there.
“He and I have had the odd conversation, and the jobs list gets bigger, but it’s all good positive actions to help us move forward.”
Aston Martin not looking at Imola comparison
Aston Martin’s upgrades appeared to work when it came to qualifying by catapulting their Spanish and Canadian drivers into a rare Q3 appearance, and a first of the season that seemed comfortable for the pair.
However, they then fell away in the race itself on Sunday, May 18, perhaps an indicator that there is still a learning curve to undertake before they have their developments firing on all cylinders.
Regardless, they’re not focusing on a cross-comparison at the F1 2025 Monaco GP, perhaps because of how unique the Circuit de Monaco is, as Cowell notes they think they have enough data from Imola.
“Difficult to say, to be honest,” Cowell added, of if the upgrades worked. “They worked well at Imola.
“We’re not doing a comparison here. We were happy with the data that we got from Imola.
“So, both cars just running all the updated parts right from the beginning of FP1 and we’ll optimize based on that.”
