Aston Martin F1 boss praises Newey's instant impact

Aston Martin F1 boss confident in Adrian Newey's immediate influence: a revolutionary shift in car design anticipated.

Human creativity versus AI: the immediate impact of Adrian Newey joining the Aston Martin team

Artificial intelligence is no substitute for the mind of Adrian Newey, and Aston Martin expects Formula 1's foremost designer to have an immediate impact when he joins the team next month, according to team boss Andy Cowell.

Speaking before the team's digital 2025 car launch on Sunday, Cowell described Newey's arrival from Red Bull as "just brilliant."

"He's one of the few engineers that can bridge across aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, and the data logger that is the driver," Cowell added. "He can communicate well with the driver and pull out the comments that the telemetry perhaps isn't showing, and can bring that back into the factory on campus to help us chase the improvements needed for the best lap times.

"I think we'll feel the benefit of him in the opening days," Cowell emphasized. "I'm sure he's frustrated with not working on a Formula 1 car at the moment, especially as new regulations have come out. And I’m confident he will be coming up with observations pertinent to the car concept, as well as in terms of the fidelity of our tools and equipment, and his thoughts on where we should make improvements."

Newey's move was announced last September, and the 65-year-old Brit, whose cars have won 25 drivers' and constructors' championships for Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull, has been on gardening leave with no input into the AMR25. He is scheduled to start at the Silverstone factory right after preseason testing in Bahrain concludes on February 28, with the season's opening race in Melbourne on March 16.

Aston Martin, with Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso and Canadian Lance Stroll, finished fifth overall last season.

"Human creativity is hard to quantify, isn't it?" Cowell said when asked about Newey's unique talent. "There's talk of AI coming in and replacing human creativity, but I see AI as a tool that enhances human creativity. Individuals like Adrian bring a broad perspective and determination to chase down performance beliefs, and that's what he will add."

Asked whether AI could ever be a substitute for Newey, Cowell replied: "You can probably make it broader than that, can't you? It's not just Adrian."

Cowell also praised Alonso, who remains hungry for success at the age of 43 and more than 10 years after his last win.

"We're fortunate to have both Fernando and Lance on long-term contracts," he acknowledged. "Our challenge is to develop a fast race car for both of them to excel in. Age is just a number; Fernando is a phenomenal individual, and he’s very welcome in our team. Fernando’s experiences and feedback are invaluable, and his simulator feedback is exceptionally good."

Cowell, who took over from Mike Krack last month and reports to owner Lawrence Stroll, Lance's father, noted that the team has not set a specific timeframe for success and is committed to not cutting any corners. They are currently commissioning a new wind tunnel, although no date has been set for it to become operational.

"We have confidence that if our improvement rate is steep, and steeper than our competitors, then we will catch them and eventually make it to the front," Cowell concluded.

Up Next

• Aston Martin unveils AMR25 for 2025 F1 season
• Sainz replaces Vettel as F1 drivers' union head

Season-Defining Headlines

F1 TV: Watch F1 Grand Prix live throughout the season.

ESPN: Watch Formula 1 all season long across ESPN networks.