Season 6 of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive opens with a deal with Aston Martin, and proprietor Lawrence Stroll’s quest to construct a championship group. “I’m not somebody who may sit on the seaside all day, or play golf. I’ve at all times fought for profitable at no matter I did. It’s what drives me, it’s what motivates me, and it’s what excites me,” declares Stroll at an elaborate occasion in Antibes, a seaside metropolis in southeastern France.
The subsequent piece to that profitable puzzle is now in place.
Aston Martin has begun a large transformation in recent times, from breaking floor on a modernized manufacturing unit to touchdown veteran — and former champion — Fernando Alonso as certainly one of their two drivers. However on Tuesday the group introduced their newest addition, introducing legendary designer Adrian Newey as the most recent member of their administration group.
A transfer that might reshape your complete System 1 grid.
From the second Newey introduced that he was leaving Pink Bull on the finish of the 2024 F1 season, hypothesis flowed by the paddock relating to his subsequent vacation spot. Newey was linked with each group on the grid, with many speculating that the legendary engineer would land at Ferrari, however in the end Stroll — and his imaginative and prescient for the long run — gained out.
In fact, the astronomical determine seemingly performed a job. In line with a number of stories, Newey’s deal is price roughly $20 million per season. However a return to the grid makes good sense when you think about his historical past. As we argued earlier this season, by coming again to the grid for subsequent season Newey has an opportunity to resolve F1’s subsequent puzzle: The upcoming technical rules that go into impact for the 2026 season.
A part of the fantastic thing about the game is that F1 is as a lot an engineering drawback to resolve by creativity as it’s a race to be gained by sheer driver ability, bravery, and willpower. F1 continually revises the foundations and rules for the game, with some years providing larger and bolder adjustments than others.
The 2026 season affords maybe a few of the greatest adjustments in current reminiscence, as the game’s governing physique confirmed in June a daring departure from the present set of rules … which have been instituted for the 2022 season.
A brand new set of rules offers Newey the possibility to face in entrance of his legendary drafting board and, pencil in hand, start work on fixing a brand new riddle.
It’s, in his personal phrases, the a part of the game he loves finest.
“I do get pleasure from regulation adjustments,” Newey is quoted as saying in The System. “Maybe the a part of my job I get pleasure from probably the most is determining what these rules imply, what’s their intention, and if a delicate distinction permits [us to explore] new horizons.”
It is a puzzle that Newey has typically solved effectively, with the RB5 and the RB18 maybe two of the perfect examples.
However why Aston Martin? That piece of the choice rests with Stroll’s imaginative and prescient for constructing a championship group. In touchdown Alonso, Stroll introduced a former champion into the fold. In breaking floor on their new three-building manufacturing unit, full with a modernized wind tunnel, Stroll pulled your complete operation into the fashionable age. The group introduced that the “second part” of that development was full on Monday with this put up on social media:
Now with Newey, Stroll has the visionary to carry their vehicles into that age as effectively.
“Actually probably the most thrilling information in our Aston Martin F1 historical past,” mentioned Stroll on the group’s stay occasion from the AMR Know-how Campus. “Adrian Newey shall be becoming a member of us as a shareholder, and the technical supervisor of our System 1 group.
“Adrian, arguably, is the best on the planet at what he does.”
“Lawrence,” mentioned Newey when requested what introduced him to Aston Martin.
“I felt as if I wanted a brand new problem,” continued the designer. “Actually, Lawrence’s ardour and dedication and enthusiasm may be very endearing. It’s very persuasive.
“On this fashionable period, then Lawrence is exclusive in being the one correctly lively group proprietor. It’s a distinct feeling when you’ve any person like Lawrence concerned like that.”
“As I discussed we’ve a powerful group, a few of which Adrian has already labored with. Adrian goes to be the technical managing accomplice of that group,” described Stroll when requested how Newey matches in with that imaginative and prescient for Aston Martin’s future.
“It’s not a simple factor to do to construct a model new manufacturing unit and have a very nice, heat, artistic really feel to it,” mentioned Newey. “I’ve seen some new buildings that haven’t fairly fulfilled that. However this one has an awesome really feel.
“I’m so trying ahead to beginning.”
Newey additionally addressed the brand new rules.
“On the chassis facet, the aerodynamic rules shall be introduced first or second of January. I shall be becoming a member of two months into that, and so will probably be a case of getting myself up to the mark as fast as attainable,” mentioned Newey. “The 2026 guidelines are a chance, whether or not we’ll be capable of capitalize on that or not, we simply don’t know, however I don’t spend too lengthy fretting on these.”
“Adrian is essential, key, key, and the most important a part of the puzzle actually from a technical perspective,” mentioned Stroll. “And I feel that may have a trickle down impact all through the entire group.”
Some could view Newey’s choice to land with Aston Martin as a wager on Alonso. In any case, in an interview with BBC Sport from November of 2023 Newey listed by no means working with Alonso as certainly one of his “regrets” in F1. “Properly, clearly before everything to have had an extended relationship with Ayrton [Senna],” Newey instructed BBC Sport. “By way of drivers, Fernando is one I’ve at all times… That’s a remorse that that by no means occurred as a result of I’ve an incredible respect for Fernando.”
Now Newey may have that likelihood.
However on condition that Alonso is on the again 9 of his driving profession — the driving force conceded earlier this summer season that the top of his profession is nearing — there may be extra to this transfer from Newey’s perspective. Alonso is a part of the piece, however that is additionally an enormous wager on Stroll’s imaginative and prescient for Aston Martin, from the amenities right down to the automobile itself.
Returning to that season-opening episode of Drive to Survive Stroll continues his remarks on the seaside gala with the next assertion: “I had a imaginative and prescient of making the best automotive, high-performance firm on the planet. To have the ability to battle and win might be the toughest factor on the planet,” mentioned Stroll. “I’ve owned many firms in my life.
“There’s nothing like profitable in System 1.”
However that was not all Stroll mentioned in that episode. In a sit-down with Netflix producers Stroll added this forward of the 2023 marketing campaign. “We’re fairly assured, they’re each nice drivers,” mentioned Stroll. “We’ve a powerful automobile and I consider with my imaginative and prescient, with my enterprise sense, and with my pockets, I’ll be capable of create among the finest System 1 groups on the planet.”
Newey’s choice is a wager that Stroll is true, and this announcement is a wager by Stroll that Newey is the ultimate piece to finish that imaginative and prescient.
