Adrian Newey finds himself at the center of a controversy surrounding his comments about Lewis Hamilton and the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The former Red Bull Chief Technical Officer, now confirmed to be joining Aston Martin as Managing Technical Partner in 2025, was accused of showing disrespect to Hamilton on the High Performance Podcast. However, Newey’s wife, Amanda, stepped in to strongly refute these allegations.
“No, he didn’t. He has a great deal of respect for Lewis,” Amanda Newey confirmed, addressing the backlash against her husband.
The controversy stems from Newey’s comments on the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, involving a controversial application of the Safety Car rule by race director Michael Masi.
During the podcast, the designer reflected on the controversial race.
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes looks on in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 12, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Adrian Newey’s wife has defended him against accusations of disrespect towards Lewis Hamilton.
James Sutton/Getty Images
“No it didn’t [affect me],” when asked about the incident’s impact. “I think it got to Mercedes. Instead of saying ‘OK, we will accept it and move on’ it started to affect their psyche which is an interesting one.
“That’s from the outside. I could be completely wrong. They couldn’t let it go psychologically.”
These comments were interpreted by some as a lack of respect towards Hamilton, who narrowly lost the 2021 championship to his Dutch rival Max Verstappen in the dramatic final moments of the last race of the season. The race’s outcome was heavily criticized due to Masi’s controversial decision, leading to intense scrutiny. Masi later was removed from the role of race director.
Lewis Hamilton, when asked if he felt disappointed about not working with Newey at Aston Martin, dismissed any feelings of regret.
“Honestly, no. I feel like, while I’ve mentioned before that it would be an honour to work with Adrian, I have been privileged to work with two championship-winning teams that didn’t have Adrian.
“I think any team probably would have been happy to have had him. But at the end of the day he had to do what was best for him. It doesn’t change anything for me. It doesn’t change my goal, or my focus with the next move.
“So I still believe 100% that there’s lots we can do there,”
Adrian Newey’s move to Aston Martin has been met with huge amounts of excitement, with Aston Martin’s chairman, Lawrence Stroll, sharing lots of optimism.
“This is huge news. Adrian is the best in the world at what he does – he is at the top of his game – and I am incredibly proud that he is joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team.
“It’s the biggest story since the Aston Martin name returned to the sport and another demonstration of our ambition to build a Formula One team capable of fighting for world championships,” Stroll said.
“Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I have ever met. When he saw what we have built at Silverstone – our incredible AMR Technology Campus, the talented group of people we have assembled and the latest wind tunnel in the sport – he quickly understood what we are trying to achieve.
“We mean business – and so does he. Adrian shares our hunger and ambition, he believes in this project, and he will help us write the next chapter in Aston Martin Aramco’s Formula One story.”
Adrian Newey said the following:
“I am thrilled to be joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. I have been hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and commitment that Lawrence brings to everything he is involved with. Lawrence is determined to create a world-beating team.
“His commitment is demonstrated in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus and wind tunnel at Silverstone, which are not only state of the art but have a layout that creates a great environment to work in.
“Together with great partners like Honda and Aramco, they have all the key pieces of infrastructure needed to make Aston Martin a world championship-winning team and I am very much looking forward to helping reach that goal.”
