Adrian Newey effect under scrutiny as key Aston Martin requirement emerges

Adrian Newey cannot turn Aston Martin into F1 title contenders without a “cohesive unit” behind him at Silverstone.

That is the claim of former F1 driver Karun Chandhok, who says Formula 1 teams cannot afford to rely on a single individual no matter how brilliant they might be.

Will Adrian Newey turn Aston Martin into winners?

Newey is currently working on Aston Martin’s first car – expected to be named the AMR26 – under the new F1 2026 regulations, having joined the Silverstone-based outfit in the newly created role of managing technical partner in March.

The 66-year-old stands as the most decorated individual in F1 history with involvement in more than 200 race wins and a combined 26 Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles.

Newey’s arrival has raised hopes that Aston Martin can make significant strides in F1 2026, which will mark the first season of the team’s highly anticipated technical partnership with Honda, Red Bull’s current engine supplier.

Why Adrian Newey’s bond with Fernando Alonso is crucial for Aston Martin

👉 Why Adrian Newey’s private Alonso talks are so important for Aston Martin 

👉 Explained: Adrian Newey’s job title and how Aston Martin’s technical structure will look

Newey is just one of a number of high-profile arrivals at Aston Martin over recent years, with former Mercedes engine guru Andy Cowell appointed to the role of team principal ahead of the F1 2025 season.

PlanetF1.com revealed in August that Enrico Cardile, the former Ferrari technical director, has started work as Aston Martin’s chief technical officer following a battle to acquire his services.

Speaking to Motivational Speakers Agency in association with PlanetF1.com, former HRT and Lotus Racing driver Chandhok claimed that even Newey will not be able to unlock Aston Martin’s potential without an organised structure supporting him.

He said: “A race team is a very complex structure.

“You’ve got the public-facing personalities such as the drivers and the team principals, occasionally a high-profile technical person such as Adrian Newey, for example, who was at Red Bull.

“But really, none of those people can achieve any form of success if the thousand others within the team are not functioning as a cohesive unit.

“That’s where there’s a lot of lessons to be passed on, because the pressure to deliver in a Formula 1 environment exceeds any other sport, any other business, frankly any industry.

“Just think of the timelines in the road car industry, for example.

“If a manufacturer decides to build a new car, there’s typically a four-year period by the time they come up with studying the market, understanding what they want to build, where there’s a position in the market for that vehicle, doing their surveys.

“Then they go to design, then they go to prototyping, then they do test, manufacturing, and eventually into full production and then sales and marketing. It’s a four-year cycle.

“In F1, they’ve got to build a new car every year.

“Not just that, but they’re updating that car nearly every race or every three to four races, so pretty much every couple of months you’re having to re-evaluate your product and come up with better solutions to make it faster, more reliable, more user-friendly.

“The pressures of time sensitivity in Formula 1 put a different perspective on the way people have to think about life and go about their work.

“And the other thing is there’s nowhere to hide.

“In any other business, there’s opportunities with the way you present your financial results, with the way you present your sales figures or things like that, where there is perhaps some wiggle room in terms of getting to the absolute truth.

“In the racing world there is no hiding. The results are printed in black and white for everybody to see on a time sheet and the stopwatch never lies.”

Read next: Jos Verstappen crowned champion after 17-year wait as Max takes Nurburgring win