Newey commits to £30m Aston Martin deal

Leading Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey will join Aston Martin next year.

An Aston Martin source told BBC Sport that Newey has made a long-term commitment to the team, said to be a five-year contract worth up to a possible £30m a year, including bonuses and add-ons.

The deal will be announced at a news conference organised by Aston Martin at their F1 base at Silverstone on Tuesday.

Newey, who in April negotiated an early exit from his contract as Red Bull chief technical officer, will start work in early March.

The 65-year-old's manager Eddie Jordan refused to discuss the situation when approached for comment by BBC Sport.

An Aston Martin spokesperson said: "Adrian has been linked to many teams and would be an asset to any team, but we don't have anything to announce."

Securing Newey is a coup for Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll after investing heavily in the team with the ambition of turning them into world championship contenders.

Stroll has funded a state-of-the-art new factory, including a wind tunnel, employed a series of top engineers and secured Honda as a works engine partner from 2026.

The team also have two-time world champion Fernando Alonso under contract until the end of 2026.

Newey has built a reputation as the greatest F1 designer in history after winning 12 drivers’ championships and 13 constructors’ titles in a career that spans the Williams, McLaren and Red Bull teams.

In particular, he has a reputation for stealing a march on rivals at the beginning of a period of new regulations.

The deal he negotiated to leave Red Bull, to whom he had been under contract until the end of 2025, frees him to join another team in time to have a significant impact on the design they produce for 2026.

F1 rules forbid teams from starting design work on the aerodynamics of their 2026 before the start of next year.

Newey will be the design lead for a team who have invested heavily in engineering talent in recent years.

Former Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell joins as chief executive officer on 1 October.

Aston Martin have signed former Ferrari chassis technical director Enrico Cardile, who will start work in his role as chief technical officer at an unspecified point in 2025.

Aston Martin's technical director is Dan Fallows, who joined in April 2022 after working as an aerodynamicist under Newey at Red Bull from 2006 until 2021.