Aston Martin is still hoping to convince Adrian Newey to join Red Bull when he finally leaves this year, although no contract is believed to have been signed yet.

Since Newey’s surprise exit from Red Bull was announced in May, various teams have been in touch about signing him – with Ferrari initially considered the favourite to sign the most famous constructor in F1 history.

However, reports in the Italian media have since suggested that the prospect of Ferrari hiring such an expensive “super consultant” has become less likely.

Other teams linked with Newey include McLaren, which has ruled out signing him, and Williams, whose team boss James Vowles has publicly expressed his interest.

However, Aston Martin was mentioned most often. Speculation ranged from a mere interest in Newey to a possible favourite. During the summer break, it was even reported in Italy that a deal had been agreed.

The Race has learned that Aston Martin are still after Newey and that a strong offer has been made which Newey has not yet officially accepted. This could be a formality – but it could also mean that the nitty-gritty details have not yet been worked out and Newey is yet to make up his mind on what he wants.

Although it is believed that he will not be able to announce his next move as part of an agreement with Red Bull until September, this is not a deadline – Newey can take as much time as he wants.

“I was on holiday during the summer break, so I can’t really comment on that,” said Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack when asked how much momentum the Newey bid had gained.

“We are becoming an increasingly attractive team. We have great structures and a developing infrastructure.

“We are honored to be associated with this name.”

There is still no guarantee that Newey will want to return to Formula 1, although he said in May that he expected this to happen at some point after a break.

He will not be able to join another club until March 2025, so he still has a long waiting period ahead of him to make a decision.

Since his departure from Red Bull was announced, Newey’s work at Red Bull has been focused on final preparations for the unveiling of his RB17 hypercar. It was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and although Newey will likely continue to race in F1 until the end of the year, his priority now is to sell the remaining RB17s.

However, there is nothing stopping Newey from cementing his future in the meantime if he so chooses. And if Formula 1 appeals to him, then the Aston Martin project is arguably the most ambitious there is. It has the backing of chairman Lawrence Stroll and will be Honda’s factory team in 2026.

“When I joined, I walked into the old brick building of the former Jordan factory. When you drive from the A43 to Silverstone, you see that everything has changed massively,” said Krack when asked by The Race whether Aston Martin’s growth meant the company was ready for someone of Newey’s calibre.

“From that perspective, it is a completely different structure, a completely different team. The number of employees has almost doubled since then.

“This, coupled with the ambition and everything that goes into these buildings, I think makes us very attractive for the future.”

Krack also strongly suggested that Aston Martin would be willing to accommodate Newey in a flexible role similar to the one he held at Red Bull, where he officially held the title of technical director but had the freedom to influence the F1 program as he saw fit.

Wherever Newey goes, there are essentially two factors to consider: can it all work structurally to meet his unique requirements, and will it work in practice?

At Aston Martin it can work. The team has clear, senior technical positions filled, meaning Newey’s part-time approach can be encouraged – the team doesn’t need him full-time, nor will he be forced into it, making it more attractive to join and get the best out of him.

“With someone like that, you have to make every effort to integrate and adapt their structure to make the most of it,” says Krack.

Whether that would work remains a big question mark though and can only be answered if he joins. It is a big cultural test to bring someone in outside the normal structure, as one of the issues raised at Red Bull in recent years has been that Newey has taken the credit for his successes and the official technical team has been left in the shadows.

Aston Martin has made many senior technical hires ahead of the 2026 season and new car and engine regulations. Where would Newey fit in, given that Andy Cowell, Bob Bell and Enrico Cardile have been brought in alongside established lead engineers Dan Fallows, Eric Blandin and Tom McCullough?

The answer is the creative magic that Newey always provides at close quarters – the original solutions from afar, the intuitive feel for all the performance factors and their interactions. Not to mention the intimate knowledge of what has made Red Bull the impressive force it is in recent years.

With Cowell as CEO with a focus on engineering, there is the potential for a union of the greatest engine designer and the greatest chassis engineer of their time. Bob Bell will oversee the expansion of the facilities, maximize their benefits and work with Cowell on full integration into Honda.

Newey could support this process just as he would support the work of Cardile, Fallows and Co. in designing the actual car.

There doesn’t necessarily have to be a vacancy that overshadows Newey. There needs to be an organization that can accommodate him and his special skills. Whether that will be Aston Martin is the big unknown – and of course also what Newey actually wants to do.