Newey claims Aston Martin has the best wind tunnel in Formula One
Aston Martin's Managing Technical Partner Adrian Newey insists that the British outfit has the best wind tunnel currently in Formula One, albeit he has stressed that it is not enough to succeed at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Newey signed a contract with Aston Martin last September, as a shareholder and Managing Technical Partner for the Silverstone-based team. He joined the British team on 1 March 2025, in time for the 2026 regulations.
Having only spent a few weeks at Aston Martin, the British engineer has revealed a critical shortcoming, suggesting that the correlation between virtual data and real-world behaviour needs to be improved in the near future. Newey stressed that Aston Martin will need to find a solution for the issue if it does not want to develop next year's all-new F1 car "blind."
“Some of our instruments are weak. In particular, the simulator needs a lot of work, because at the moment there is no correlation and it is a fundamental tool for research on next year’s car… We’ll go blind for a while.”
Despite the issue with the simulator, Newey has praised Aston Martin's wind tunnel, claiming that it is the best facility in the entire Formula One world.
“The wind tunnel is unquestionably the best in F1 and the entire factory is the most advanced at the moment. But as good as the wind tunnel may be, it is the human element of design that makes the difference.”
Formula One is set to introduce an all-new power unit and aerodynamic configuration next year, ditching the MGU-H and bringing adjustable front wing back to the sport. Newey revealed that while he was a bit pessimistic regarding the freedom the new set of technical regulation creates, he has recognized many areas that will allow creativity for engineers.
“When I read them the first time I thought there wouldn’t be much space. But then you start to delve into the details and you discover that there is a reasonable amount of flexibility.”
“I offer my impressions and my advice, but I leave it to them to put into practice what they think is most appropriate. Mine are guidelines that I hope will lead in the right direction.”
“My wife says I’m going into a kind of creative trance… My whole mind is focused on a single area, which is now trying to collaborate with everyone to make a fast machine.”
