1996 F1 champion Damon Hill has branded Adrian Newey a “master” and believes he could lead Aston Martin to the front.
Newey joined Aston Martin at the start of March last year as managing technical partner, focusing fully on its 2026 car for the new power unit regulations.
His switch to the Silverstone-based outfit followed his departure from Red Bull, where he was responsible for designing all of its race-winning cars.
Crucially, Newey’s position at Aston Martin changed considerably at the end of 2025, when it was announced he would become team principal, taking over from Andy Cowell.
It is a position the 67-year-old has never held, marking a first for him in what has been a long and illustrious F1 career.
Newey has a reputation for producing winning cars, convincing Hill that he could lead Aston Martin towards the front under F1’s new regulations.
Asked if Aston Martin could rise to the front, Hill told talkSPORT: "Yes, you could [see a changing of the guard in F1 this year]. I mean, we could see a complete surprise.
"Something like when Jenson Button won with Brawn, they surprised everyone because they saw through the regulations.
"And the master of seeing through the regulations is Adrian Newey, who's gone to Aston Martin.
"He left Red Bull and Max Verstappen behind, and Christian Horner has left that team anyway. But he's gone off to Aston Martin. He's been working on this project now for a good 18 months or so.
"So we're sort of expecting him to wave his magic wand over Aston Martin. It could happen."
Originally published by racingnews365.com —
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