Fresh Adrian Newey boost as Aston Martin signs Red Bull figure after ‘premature’ exit
Adrian Newey: Aston Martin's ticket to the top?
Nick Roberts, the former senior strategy engineer for Red Bull sister outfit Racing Bulls, is to join Aston Martin ahead of the F1 2026 season, PlanetF1.com understands.
It marks the latest addition to the team following the arrival of F1 design guru Adrian Newey from Red Bull last year.
Aston Martin signs long-serving Red Bull strategist Nick Roberts
Newey, the most decorated individual in F1 history with involvement in more than 200 race wins and a combined 25 Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles, joined Aston Martin in the newly created role of managing technical partner in March following a highly successful stint at Red Bull.
The 66-year-old is currently working on Aston Martin’s first car for the new F1 2026 regulations – expected to be named the AMR26, which will see the sport embrace 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics.
Next season will also mark the start of Aston Martin’s highly anticipated technical partnership with Honda, Red Bull’s current engine supplier.
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As reported by PlanetF1.com at the time, it emerged in June that Aston Martin had signed Newey’s former Red Bull ally Giles Wood to help improve the team’s simulation tools.
The hire of Wood as simulation and vehicle modelling director came hot on the heels of Newey expressing concerns over the quality of Aston Martin’s simulation tools during his first trackside appearance with the team at the Monaco Grand Prix.
PlanetF1.com can reveal that Roberts has become the latest man to swap life within the Red Bull family for Aston Martin, with the strategy chief set to start work with the team in 2026 after a period of gardening leave.
Roberts recently announced that his time with Racing Bulls has come to a “premature end” ahead of a switch to a rival team for the F1 2026 season.
In a post on social media, he said: “Unfortunately my time at Racing Bulls has come to a premature end.
“However, this does mean for the first time in 10 years I get to watch the remainder of the season as a regular punter, let’s see how the midfield battle plays out!! (And we will see how much I can figure out without all the tools!)
“I will be back trackside next year, but first I need to fit in some gardening.”
His post was accompanied by an emoji of a green heart, sparking suggestions that Aston Martin would be his next destination.
PlanetF1.com understands that this is the case with Roberts due to link up with Aston Martin next year after completing his gardening leave.
It is understood that Roberts’ responsibilities with the Racing Bulls team will be inherited by Guillaume Ducreux, who has moved across from the sister Red Bull team to take the role of trackside strategy engineer.
Ducreux, who joined Red Bull Racing in 2024, is to work closely with chief strategist Matthieu Dubois. The pair previously worked together at Alpine.
Roberts joined Racing Bulls ahead of the 2024 season following a nine-year stint with Red Bull Racing.
He initially joined Red Bull in March 2016 as a race strategy analyst, rising to the role of senior race strategy analyst in the closing weeks of the 2022 season.
Roberts also worked with Red Bull’s famous driver academy, improving the processes for scouting emerging talent and implementing F1-style analytics in the junior categories of motor racing.
He switched to the Faenza-based Racing Bulls team in early 2024 with Roberts responsible for strategy on the pit wall from the third race of last season in Australia.
More on Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin from PlanetF1.com
Roberts’ departure comes as Red Bull Racing prepares to bid farewell to long-serving strategy chief Will Courtenay at the end of the F1 2025 season.
McLaren announced in the aftermath of last year’s Singapore Grand Prix that it had signed Courtenay as the team’s new sporting director.
It emerged in January that McLaren’s hopes of securing an early release for Courtenay had been met with resistance by Red Bull.
Reports at the time suggested that McLaren had hoped to secure the services of Courtenay at some point this year.
However, Red Bull showed little interest in striking a deal to release the engineer with Courtenay spending the entire F1 2025 season with his current employer.
Courtenay is now expected to link up with McLaren by the middle of 2026 at the latest.
PlanetF1.com revealed last month that Red Bull is looking to hire a new senior strategy engineer as it prepares for Courtenay’s departure.
It is expected that Hannah Schmitz, Red Bull’s long-serving principal strategy engineer, will inherit Courtenay’s responsibilities on a full-time basis when his move to McLaren goes through.
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