Adrian Newey makes bold prediction for 2026 F1 season ahead of Aston Martin move
Adrian Newey makes bold prediction for 2026 F1 season ahead of Aston Martin move
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The design guru, who is leaving Red Bull for Aston in March, has his sights set on the next set of regulations. Adrian Newey believes one team could steal a march on the rest of the F1 grid in 2026 when new engine regulations come into force – in a similar way to Mercedes in 2014.
F1 design guru Newey, the man chiefly responsible for the dominant Red Bull car which has guided Max Verstappen to his last four world championships, is joining Aston Martin in a blockbuster move in March. While Aston’s 2025 car has long been in the works, Newey will have his sights set on next year when new engine and chassis regulations are enforced, with the potential to shake-up the pecking order in the paddock.
Mercedes’ era of dominance began at the start of the hybrid engine era in 2014 as Toto Wolff’s outfit nailed the power unit regulations, leading to one of the sport’s most dominant eras and eight straight constructors’ championships. And Newey, who has been involved in F1 for over 30 years for the likes of Williams and McLaren, as well as Red Bull, is envisaging a similar forecast for next year.
"The reality is I can't remember another time in Formula 1 when both the chassis regulations and the regulations have changed simultaneously. And in this case the chassis regulations have been very much written to try to compensate, let's say, for the power unit regulations.
"So, it's an extra dimension. I think engine manufacturers will have learnt to an extent on the lack of preparation that the rivals to Mercedes did prior to that change [for 2014] but there has to be a chance that one manufacturer will come out well on top and it'll become a power unit-dominated regulation, at least to start with.”.
