Aston Martin receive Nico Rosberg warning over big-name signings made

2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg warned Aston Martin that Adrian Newey must be a key cog in a well-oiled machine if they want to taste title glory.

Under the ownership of the ambitious billionaire Lawrence Stroll, the Aston Martin team has enjoyed major investment, with a new factory and windtunnel constructed, while a potentially game-changing deal has been struck to sign F1 design guru Adrian Newey from March 2025 after his Red Bull exit.

Nico Rosberg has ‘PSG’ warning for ambitious Aston Martin

Newey is not the only head-turning recruit at Aston Martin in recent times, with Mercedes’ former engine boss Andy Cowell also among the signings as their new group CEO. Newey takes on the new title of managing technical partner, the 65-year-old also receiving a stake in the team.

However, Rosberg warns that Newey on his own – despite 25 F1 titles having been won with his designs – cannot transform Aston Martin into a title-winning team. He used an example from football, pointing out how the free-spending Paris Saint-German has never won the Champions League.

“Look at PSG, in soccer,” Rosberg told Sky F1 . “They had Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, all three at the same time. Three of the best soccer players of all time, and all the others were very good as well.

“And they never won the Champions League. Because, of course, it’s great to bring the greatest geniuses, the best managers on board.

“However, they still need to then gel, work together optimally, because you’re only as good as the whole team is collaboratively.

“Adrian Newey on his own is not going to be able to make that car a World Championship-winning car. He needs the rest of the team.

“Of course, he can give them a good direction, he can give very good guidance, but he still needs the team to excel with him.

“That remains to be seen. That’s going to be a challenge definitely for them to integrate and make that into a family that is all pulling in the same direction.”

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Another boost for Aston Martin will be that from F1 2026, under the new regulations, they will enjoy exclusive use of the Honda power unit, Honda having powered Red Bull to their two Constructors’ titles, and Max Verstappen’s three Drivers’ titles since joining forces in 2019.

Honda started out supplying the Red Bull second team in 2018 after the end of their underwhelming McLaren reunion, before extending the deal to cover the main Red Bull team from 2019.

And according to Newey’s manager, former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan, the Honda deal and Cowell coming on board were key draws to Aston Martin for Newey.

“I think Honda being a partner from ’26 will be important to Adrian, because he believes to have a strategic manufacturer online is crucially important,” Jordan explained on the Formula For Success podcast where he appears alongside ex-Red Bull driver David Coulthard.

“To have Andy Cowell there, who we know – what a brilliant man. And he was the man behind all of those successes at Mercedes, [a] genius, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed that he’s obviously now in the fold with them.

“With Honda and with Adrian and with the people that he will get together, I have no doubt that it’s good.

“It’s going to shake it up a bit, because other teams will [be] going to have to get up off their hind legs and tackle.

“Do I think that they can win a World Championship? There’s a lot of questions to be answered there.

“There’s all sorts of things about people, about drivers, but do I think that people will be attracted to Aston Martin because Adrian Newey’s there? Beyond any doubt.”

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