Adrian Newey holds Ferrari SF-26 inspection at British Grand Prix
Adrian Newey was appointed Aston Martin team principal ahead of the F1 2026 season
Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey was spotted by PlanetF1.com examining the race-winning Ferrari SF-26 of Charles Leclerc on the grid ahead of Sunday’s British Grand Prix.
It came after Newey was also caught inspecting the championship-leading Mercedes W17 on the sprint grid at Silverstone.
Adrian Newey examines Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari SF-26 at British Grand Prix
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Newey made his third trackside appearance of the F1 2026 season at Silverstone, located close to the Aston Martin factory.
The 67-year-old previously attended the Australian and Monaco grands prix earlier this year, having taken his first senior management role in F1 ahead of this season.
Newey, the most successful designer in F1 history, is renowned for examining the designs of rival teams on the grid shortly before the start of a race.
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And PlanetF1.com’s on-the-ground reporter Thomas Maher spotted Newey taking a close look at Leclerc’s Ferrari on the grid at Silverstone (below).
Newey appeared to be paying close attention to the rear-left side of Leclerc’s car.
As reported by PlanetF1.com on Saturday, a Sprint weekend at the British Grand Prix presented the opportunity of two separate grid walks.
Newey took advantage by examining the Mercedes W17, the winner of all but two grands prix so far this season, ahead of the 17-lap mini race at Silverstone.
Leclerc went on to claim victory at Silverstone, collecting his first win since the 2024 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Newey was briefly linked with a move to Ferrari in 2024 following the news of his departure from Red Bull before he opted to join Aston Martin, initially in the role of managing technical partner and shareholder.
He was appointed Aston Martin team principal in November 2025.
Newey’s inspection at the British Grand Prix marked the second time this season that he has examined a Ferrari on the starting grid.
He was also spotted taking a closer look at the sister SF-26 of Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne in March (below).
Newey also found the time to take a close look at the Audi R26 of Nico Hulkenberg in Australia, with PlanetF1.com’s Mat Coch capturing the moment at Albert Park (below).
Newey’s trip to Monaco last month, meanwhile, saw him examine both McLaren MCL40s of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with the cars situated at opposite sides of the grid in Monte Carlo (below).
Newey rounded off his visit to Monaco by taking a close look at the Alpine A526 of Pierre Gasly (below).
Newey revealed during his Monaco Grand Prix appearance that he has orchestrated a complete rethink of Aston Martin’s upgrade strategy in light of the team’s disappointing start to F1 2026.
Instead of introducing a number of small upgrades, Newey is instead targeting a significant step with a large upgrade package set to appear at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the summer break, later this month.
Newey confirmed the first details of the new-look AMR26 last week, with Aston Martin targeting a significant weight reduction in Hungary with a lighter chassis and gearbox architecture.
The upgrade will also include changes to the rear suspension, the nose and the car’s aerodynamic surfaces.
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