Adrian Newey\u2019s transformation of the McLaren MP4-20 into a \u2018beast\u2019 offers insight into why Aston Martin has full faith in a performance turnaround.<\/p>\n
Aston Martin is a few weeks away from rolling out a significant upgrade package that is anticipated to unlock a chunk of laptime and performance, marking what could be the start of a big upswing in the team\u2019s fortunes.<\/p>\n
Pedro de la Rosa explains Adrian Newey\u2019s McLaren turnaround<\/p>\n
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Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Newey\u2019s tenure as team boss and managing technical partner of Aston Martin has already been a storied one, with the legendary car designer taking on roles of increased responsibility at his new team since arriving at Lawrence Stroll\u2019s squad in early 2025.<\/p>\n Newey\u2019s first offering, the AMR26, has been a very troubled machine since it first rolled out on track in Barcelona almost six months ago, with Newey opting against introducing a steady supply of upgrades in order to concentrate on a more fundamental package; this significant upgrade is scheduled to roll out at the Hungarian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n But the lack of upgrades has meant Aston Martin<\/a> has had to spend most of the first half of the season toiling at the back, having had to work closely with Honda in order to establish a baseline of reliability before starting to look at ways to improve performance.<\/p>\n With just a solitary point to its name, Aston Martin\u2019s 2026 has been dismal from a competitive perspective, but the introduction of the updated AMR26 and an ADUO-granted Honda power unit over the coming weekends is likely to mark the start of a more positive trend for Newey\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n Prior to the British Grand Prix, Newey detailed the revitalisation of Aston Martin\u2019s processes as part of an update on the changes to the car, and, amidst the swell of optimism surrounding the squad, team spokesperson Pedro de la Rosa said the transparency of the process has worked to help keep the squad united.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say there\u2019s a vibe change. It has been the same since the beginning of the season,\u201d he told PlanetF1.com, in an exclusive interview.<\/p>\n \u201cWe obviously realised we were far away from where we wanted to be and, since then, the team put a plan together. We just have been working towards it, knowing that, as we\u2019re going through a period of not introducing upgrades in the car that is painful, but I think that the vibe is still the same.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are still united, we\u2019re working well, and we\u2019re working towards a plan, and I think that has been key in the sense that everyone has been informed of what we were doing and when we were doing it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis hasn\u2019t been easy, and when things are not easy is when things can fall apart, but we have really stayed together and united, and also having the confidence that we could pull it around.\u201d<\/p>\n De La Rosa has copious amounts of experience working with Newey in the past, having been McLaren\u2019s test driver in the mid-2000s as the British designer worked on improving the MP4-17D to give Kimi Raikkonen a shot at the 2003 title.<\/p>\n De La Rosa has had the experience of driving the stillborn MP4-18, the troubled offering from Newey that never managed to get to a level of preparedness to actually race, as well as the MP4-19 through its initial iteration before its evolution into a much-improved B-spec, and was also in position to experience the MP4-20; one of Newey\u2019s fastest creations, if not the most reliable.<\/p>\n His long-standing experience with Newey means the Spaniard knows how the British designer ticks and, after insisting that Newey \u201chasn\u2019t changed one bit\u201d over the two decades since first working together, explained why he, amongst others, finds it so easy to keep the faith.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just super good, because that\u2019s Adrian,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWith no filters, that\u2019s how he is within the factory, within everyone in the team when he talks to Lance and Fernando, and I think that\u2019s why he\u2019s such a good leader, because the key in our current situation is that everyone has been informed of the plan we were following.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, the world or the people might sound surprised, because you consider that interview to be very, very transparent, but that\u2019s the reason why we have kept calm within the organisation, because everyone had this information.<\/p>\n More on Adrian Newey<\/p>\n Adrian Newey\u2019s first impressions as final Red Bull car debuts<\/a><\/p>\n Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile: Meet F1\u2019s new double act at\u00a0Aston\u00a0Martin<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we are not that surprised, and that\u2019s why Lance and Fernando have kept their heads down.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s the type of engineer that likes to talk and ask questions of the drivers, get their feedback, write it down, and come back with solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is so complete; he doesn\u2019t only rely on data, he relies on data and human feedback.<\/p>\n \u201cI know it sounds trivial, because you think that\u2019s how it normally is. Well, it isn\u2019t: in a data-driven sport like Formula 1, there are more and more engineers that obviously take notes of what drivers say, but they don\u2019t take it to the extent that Adrian does in actually going into the details.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, I think that\u2019s what makes Adrian so special; my experience with him when I worked at McLaren is that he always wanted to know why you couldn\u2019t go any faster, and that\u2019s something no sensor, no data can show or prove to any engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n As an example, De La Rosa pointed to an experience he had with Newey at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix. In those days, some of the teams were permitted to run a third car in the first practice session and, at McLaren, De La Rosa was the driver set loose in the spare MP4-20.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember that at Turn 1, he said, \u2018Which is the worst corner?\u2019 and I said, \u2018Turn 1 because I cannot go any faster through there\u2019,\u201d De La Rosa recounted.<\/p>\n \u201cHe asked, \u2018Why can\u2019t you go any faster?\u2019 and I said, \u2018Well, because if I throw the car, I will have more understeer\u2019, and he asked why I didn\u2019t put more [steering] lock?<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Adrian, I can put more lock, but the more lock I put, there\u2019s a point that the steering feels very light, and there\u2019s no front grip\u2019. He asked me to demonstrate the steering angle I was talking about.<\/p>\n \u201cI showed him, and he started writing down, and he said, \u2018That\u2019s above six degrees, and above six degrees, we have no data in the wind tunnel. The car is designed up to six degrees, and the problem you\u2019re having is that, above six degrees, we have no data, and therefore what you\u2019re saying makes complete sense to me; it\u2019s an unexplored area of the car, but I will work on that. \u2018<\/p>\n \u201cSo, a couple of races later, he made a mod in the front wing, and that\u2019s the story of the MP4-20. We were the fastest car in 2005. We didn\u2019t win the championship because mainly we were unreliable, but we were the fastest. It was a beast.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an example of how he identifies the problem and comes up with solutions, because we can only identify problems; I can identify problems, but I won\u2019t be able to come up with solutions that make the car faster. He has both. He\u2019s a very complete engineer, and a guy that I really enjoy working with, because you feel you are important to him as a driver.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know that he knows what he\u2019s doing. I mean, there\u2019s no question about that. We are not in the place where we wanted to be, but we will turn it around with his help.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen it before; I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s not a problem, because everything is a problem in Formula 1. You\u2019re always out of time, you\u2019re always pushing the limits, but he knows what needs to be done, and he delivers, so we just have to keep pushing. There\u2019s no secret, really.\u201d<\/p>\n While Newey\u2019s past experience and track record are beyond comparison, the Aston Martin workforce, mostly, have not worked with him. So how has the British designer managed to instil such blind faith in the face of the on-track realities that have played out this season?<\/p>\n \u201cHe has this character, this attitude of knowing what he\u2019s doing and what is wrong, that gives you this blind faith that you will come on top,\u201d De La Rosa reflected, upon this question.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to put in words the feeling, but it\u2019s not because he\u2019s won so many world championships that you have this blind faith.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was at McLaren in 2003, we were facing different, difficult challenges. When you spoke with Adrian, it was like, \u2018Wow, we know what we\u2019re doing now. We are on the right track\u2019, and this is what Adrian brings. You know, he really knows what he\u2019s doing. He is extremely strong in identifying what is wrong with the car, what part, and why.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is very important because it just saves so much time, and there\u2019s no time available in Formula 1, but it is this sense of urgency that he brings that is so positive for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n