McLaren ruled out of the Adrian Newey chase as F1 rumors continue to swirl
As rumors continue to swirl regarding Adrian Neweyâs next Formula 1 stop, one team can officially be ruled out of the race to land arguably the greatest designer in the sportâs history.
McLaren.
The teamâs CEO spoke with BBC Sport for a feature released Wednesday, addressing the teamâs sharp rise up the standings and a potential title fight with Red Bull. But near the end of the piece, Brown addressed speculation that Newey could return to McLaren and made it clear that such a reunion was not in the works.
âWeâre not going to sign Adrian,â Brown said to BBC Sport. âIâm very happy with the team. Adrian is a great friend, huge talent, resume second to none. But with what we have in place here, I couldnât be happier. We can get the job done. Iâm happy with the race team we have and weâre going to try to win the world championship with the team sitting here today.â
Brownâs comments surfaced a day after reporting in Italian media indicated that Newey had decided on his next stop after Red Bull and that Aston Martin had won the race for his services. Per reporting from Italian outlet Autosprint, that decision will see him join Aston Martin on a whopping four-year contract worth $100 million. It is alleged that Newey was swayed by Lawrence Strollâs vision for the teamâs future, a vision that includes a massive new, purpose-built Silverstone-based campus. Furthermore, the team is switching to a Honda-supplied power unit for the 2026 season, just as the new regulations arrive.
Brownâs statement regarding Newey is not the only bit of news that continues to blow in Aston Martinâs direction. Additional reporting from Autosprint released Wednesday noted that Ferrari was happy to match whatever salary demands Newey made with a âwhatever it takesâ but the designer asked for decision-making powers as well, which is when Ferrari hit the pause button.
Now that McLaren is officially out of the Newey chase, and Ferrari seems to be as well, perhaps only Williams can stop a move to Aston Martin.
