Aston Martin insider reveals Adrian Newey’s “huge influence” after just two months

Adrian Newey is already having a significant impact at Aston Martin after just over two months with the F1 team, according to Pedro de la Rosa.

In early March, Newey started work as Aston Martin’s managing technical officer.

The 66-year-old is spearheading Aston Martin’s F1 design team ahead of 2026.

Newey is widely regarded as F1’s greatest-ever car designer, having won titles at Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull.

He now faces the enormous challenge of guiding Aston Martin to the front of the grid in 2026.

Even though Newey has also been with the team for only a few months, his influence has already been felt.

De la Rosa, an ambassador for Aston Martin and a key member of Fernando Alonso’s inner circle spoke about the effect having Newey had on the team.

“Adrian has a huge influence not only because he is the most talented aerodynamicist to ever be in Formula 1, but also because having him on the team brings inspiration to others,” de la Rosa told F1sport.auto.cz.

“Everyone wants to work with Adrian and everyone wants to understand how he works.

“Just by being with us, he changes the team internally, which is something that cannot be quantified. It’s not just about the knowledge that Adrian brings, but also the emotional and inspirational side.

“Adrian is a big name to join the team, but he is not the only one. Moreover, we should not underestimate the huge amount of talent we already had in the team.”

Aston Martin’s tough 2025

Aston Martin have endured a difficult start to the 2025 F1 season.

They sit seventh in the F1 constructors’ standings on 14 points.

Aston Martin are somewhat fortunate to be so high in the standings, with Lance Stroll picking up big points in the chaotic Australian Grand Prix.

Stroll also benefitted from the disqualifications in China to move into the top 10 and finished inside the points in the Miami sprint.

Remarkably, Alonso has yet to score a point in 2025.

With the new regulations coming into play in 2026, Aston Martin are fully focused on next year - and the first Newey-designed machine.

They will also become a Honda works team in 2026, leaving Mercedes.