Red Bull executive Helmut Marko was taken by surprise by the promotion of former Red Bull designer Adrian Newey. The British designer will take on the role of team boss at Aston Martin from 2026, after having served Red Bull as a designer for many years. According to Marko, it remains to be seen how well Newey will perform at Aston Martin: ‘This is certainly not his strongest point.’
Top designer Adrian Newey was employed by Red Bull for nearly two decades between 2006 and 2024. The Brit was behind the dominant RB19, in which Max Verstappen and then Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez managed to secure victory no less than 21 times in 2023. The Dutchman was responsible for nineteen of these wins.
However, in 2025, Newey embarked on a new challenge by taking up a design role at Aston Martin. But that was not the end of the road for the Brit. On Wednesday, Newey was presented by Aston Martin as the new team boss for 2026. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko – who worked with Newey for many years at the Austrian racing team – did not see this news coming.
‘Not his strongest point’
“That really surprised me,” the Austrian told Kleine Zeitung. Marko also immediately questions Aston Martin’s decision to promote Newey. “We first have to wait and see what this will look like in practice. This is certainly not his strongest point. His great strength lies in designing, tuning the car, and delivering quality in the production and development of a car. That’s why it really surprised me now that he has been chosen for the role of team boss.”
