Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed he remains in contact with Adrian Newey following the legendary designer’s difficult start at Aston Martin, where early-season struggles have raised questions about the team’s ambitious project. The 82-year-old Austrian, who worked alongside Newey for nearly two decades at Red Bull, confirmed ongoing communication with his former colleague amid what he describes as significant challenges that won’t be resolved quickly.
Aston Martin’s 2025 campaign has begun disastrously, with the team plagued by both pace and reliability issues that have left them languishing at the back of the grid. The much-hyped partnership with Honda as a works power unit supplier has produced a battery system with excessive vibrations, preventing drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso from completing full race distances. The situation became so severe in Melbourne that Alonso reportedly feared “permanent nerve damage” to his hands if forced to drive more than 25 consecutive laps in the AMR26.
Newey’s expanded role at Aston Martin, which now includes team principal responsibilities alongside his traditional technical duties, has come under increased scrutiny following the team’s catastrophic opening rounds. The aerodynamics genius made his high-profile switch from Red Bull with expectations of spearheading a new era of success for the Lawrence Stroll-owned operation, but early results suggest fundamental issues remain unresolved.
“I’ve been in contact with him,” Marko told OE24 when asked about Newey’s situation. “He’s not doing well [on account of Aston Martin’s difficult start to the F1 season].” The veteran team advisor expressed pessimism about quick fixes, stating there are “problems with this project that won’t be solved quickly,” while speculation mounts that Newey may need to step back from team principal duties to focus on his core technical strengths.