Adrian Newey holds new McLaren MCL39 inspection at Qatar Grand Prix
Adrian Newey officially linked up with Aston Martin in early 2025
Adrian Newey, the soon-to-be Aston Martin team principal, was spotted by PlanetF1.com inspecting the McLaren MCL39 for a third time this season at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday.
Newey stands as the most decorated individual in F1 history with involvement in more than 200 race wins and a combined 26 drivers’ and constructors’ title triumphs for the likes of Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.
Adrian Newey spotted inspecting McLaren MCL39 for a third time at Qatar Grand Prix
The 66-year-old joined Aston Martin in the newly created role of managing technical partner in March, as well as becoming a team shareholder in the process.
The F1 design guru is currently leading development of the Honda-powered AMR26, the first car to be produced by Aston Martin under the new F1 2026 regulations.
Aston Martin dropped a huge bombshell earlier this week by announcing that Newey will become team principal ahead of next season.
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The team’s reshuffle will see current team boss Andy Cowell take on the position of chief strategy officer, managing the relationship between the team, new engine partner Honda and fuel supplier Aramco.
Newey is making his third trackside appearance of the season with Aston Martin in Qatar as he prepares for his new role.
He previously joined his new team earlier this season at Monaco and Silverstone, with PlanetF1.com reporting that the dominant MCL39 of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri caught his eye on both occasions.
And PlanetF1.com once again spotted Newey taking a close look at the title-winning car of 2025 for a third time on the grid ahead of Saturday’s sprint race in Qatar.
On-the-ground reporters Thomas Maher and Mat Coch captured Newey paying close attention to the rear-right corner of Norris’s McLaren as it sat on the grid in Qatar.
Norris shared the second row of the sprint grid with Fernando Alonso, who claimed fourth in Friday’s sprint qualifying session in Lusail.
Alonso was unable to hold position across the 19-lap mini race, ultimately finishing seventh after falling behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda, as well as Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes.
More on Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll from PlanetF1.com
Newey explained the rationale behind his move to the team principal’s position on Friday in Qatar, revealing that Cowell “volunteered” to help manage the relationship between Aston Martin, Honda and Aramco in early 2026.
He told Sky F1: “To be perfectly honest, it became very evident that, with the challenge of the ’26 PU, Andy’s skillset, in terms of helping the three-way relationship between Honda, Aramco and ourselves, is absolutely his skillset,” Newey told Kravitz.
“So he very magnanimously volunteered to be heavily involved in that through the first part of ’26.
“And that left [the question]: ‘OK, well who’s going to be TP?’
“Since I’m going to be doing all the early races anyway, it doesn’t actually particularly change my workload because I’m there anyway, so I may as well pick up that bit.”
Newey went on to insist that he is “determined” to ensure that his new role does not compromise his duties on the design and development side.
He added: “That’s really what I want to and need to do.
“That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning, so I’m determined not to dilute that.”
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