Following his high-profile announcement about the Aston Martin, Adrian Newey has been accused by former Formula One driver David Coulthard of giving Red Bull the “middle finger.”
Newey was introduced earlier this month as Aston Martin’s new technical partner, leading the company’s design team starting in 2025 and based in Silverstone.
In a lavish news conference, Newey was formally introduced alongside drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso as well as team owner Lawrence Stroll.
The 65-year-old will join Aston Martin in March 2025, but he will still be working on the Red Bull hypercar, the RB17.
The reveal somewhat irritated Red Bull CEO Christian Horner, who claimed Aston Martin had welcomed Newey “slightly prematurely.”
Using a story from his own Formula One era, Coulthard expressed on the Formula for Success podcast that he thought it was unprofessional of Newey to be parading about the Aston Martin plant.
“I must be sincere. I was in a scenario where, in the last months of the 1995 season, I went to McLaren after leaving Williams and sat down with the engineers to provide as much information as I could remember,” the driver stated. To be honest, I didn’t feel comfortable doing it, but Ron Dennis begged me to, and since I was young and planned to stay there in 1996, I complied.
“I recall asking Mario Ilien, who was seated behind the Mercedes engine, about the Renault engine. I would admit that it did feel very unprofessional.
It felt a little disrespectful to the family he is leaving behind to see Adrian there with Aston, conducting the entire press conference, and touring the factory while still under contract with Red Bull and working on the RB17 road car, which looks amazing.
Speaking out about Lewis Hamilton, Coulthard asserted that he is “mentally” at Ferrari already.
With reference to Newey’s responsibilities to Red Bull, Coulthard believes that one person cannot “give 100 per cent” to anything.
“My pal Adrian is. Thus, friends might not agree with you when you talk about them in public, but that’s the reality, Coulthard continued. “I told you the truth; when I was still under contract at Williams, I didn’t like being at McLaren. Carlos will probably sit down with James Vowles and start downloading before the year is out because how could he not?
“When I said earlier in the year that Lewis is mentally at Ferrari, some people who believe I have a bad opinion of Lewis would naturally respond, ‘You never won anything, what are you talking about?'” What matters is understanding what it’s like to have one foot in your next relationship while you’re still in your current one, regardless of what I’ve won or lost.
And it makes no difference if you’re in a business partnership, a relationship in the truest sense of the word, or someone who has affairs or anything else. You can’t devote your whole attention to two things. One thing will receive all of your attention.
Eddie Jordan’s protection
In reaction to Coulthard, Eddie Jordan, Newey’s manager, launched a staunch defense of F1’s finest designer.
He answered, “I’m going to stand up for him.” First off, even though I’m not a young guy anymore, I would say that organizing the Adrian Newey release from Red Bull was definitely one of the coolest, most professional things I’ve ever done. That being said, the majority of topics were covered. The fact that we arrived was covered. Red Bull gave us a deadline of September 6th, after which we could or could not make any statements, so you didn’t hear from me until then.
“I can only admire Adrian because, up until the point when Red Bull gave us permission to comment, he never said a word. You continued to drive for Williams.
“You were still driving at McLaren when you went there. Adrian isn’t present. He’s on leave to garden. You’re confusing drivers with team players, which is entirely another matter. Adrian goes off to tend to his garden. He was under contract for a date that Red Bull and I agreed upon, and he followed that date to the letter.
Jordan refuted Coulthard’s argument, demonstrating that Newey still has “unbelievable” regard for Red Bull.
“The greatest effort was taken to respect it, and I can assure you that I don’t know of any individuals who have violated it,” he said in closing. Adrian took great care with this. In many ways, I believe that his respect for Red Bull is unfathomable and unbreakable because it simply exists. He mentioned that it is a part of him and his family.
“And it’s his family, it’s your family, David, and via the 30 years I knew Dietrich Mateschitz and the 20 years I’ve known Christian, it’s probably also mine indirectly. It was carried out in the most amazingly accurate manner possible. That might be the best thing I’ve ever done.