Newey admits taking race winning designs to new F1 team

Formula 1 design legend Adrian Newey has admitted taking concepts from one of his former teams in order to create race-winning cars elsewhere.

The 66-year-old has recently entered a new role, taking up a position as managing technical partner with Aston Martin having left Red Bull in 2024.

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Aston Martin will be the fifth team that the F1 legend has worked with, winning 12 constructors' championship titles and 223 grands prix with his previous four teams, in a record-breaking career.

Newey-designed cars have also helped F1 icons including Mika Hakkinen, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen claim multiple drivers' championship titles, and the Brit has now linked up with another legend in Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin.

Newey reveals secret to Williams success

Newey's career has spanned five different decades, starting off in 1988 with the March team, who later became Leyton House Racing as Newey was promoted to the role of technical director.

The Brit then moved to Williams in 1990, and in his six seasons with the team, he worked with the likes of Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill.

Now, as he begins to get to grips with his new role at Aston Martin ahead of sweeping regulation changes in 2026 that will mark 38 years of working in F1 for the 66-year-old, Newey has revealed the secret to his success at Williams.

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His first full season with the Grove outfit yielded seven wins, six pole positions and 17 podiums spread between Mansell and Riccardo Patrese, as technical director Patrick Head's decision to bring in the Brit was instantly justified.

Newey has suggested that his successful car design was actually built on concepts learnt in his first role at Leyton House Racing.

"I started at Williams in July 1990, then the FW14, which was the first car I did for Williams, was in many ways a 1991 Leyton House," Newey told Auto Motor und Sport.

"It was kind of taking the concepts that I've been working on but just bringing them to another team."

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