Adrian Newey sees echoes of Red Bull's troubled past in Aston Martin

Adrian Newey has said he recognises striking similarities between the state of Aston Martin when he joined and the condition of Red Bull when he first arrived there more than two decades ago.

Newey, now Aston Martin's team principal, made the comparison while speaking to media, including RacingNews365, at the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.

Red Bull bought the struggling Jaguar operation from Ford in late 2004, with Christian Horner installed as team principal before Newey arrived in early 2006.

Aston Martin, formerly Force India, has undergone its own extensive restructuring since Lawrence Stroll's takeover in 2018, including the departure of long-time team boss Otmar Szafnauer, a brief spell under Martin Whitmarsh, and the subsequent appointment of Andy Cowell.

Technical leadership at the Silverstone-based squad has also shifted repeatedly, with technical director Dan Fallows departing as Enrico Cardile and Newey were brought in alongside him.

It is against that backdrop that the 66-year-old designer drew the comparison between his two biggest career projects.

"I think there are actually a lot of parallels between when I started at Red Bull and when I started at Aston Martin," said Newey.

"Both teams, through their history, had had quite a lot of turmoil, with changes of owners, changes of senior managers, etcetera.

"And it's then really trying to get everybody working together, trying to break down silos, improve the culture, and that's been the same again."

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Newey sees signs of progress

Aston Martin currently sits 10th in the constructors' championship with a miserly seven points after 20 grands prix following a tough campaign with new power unit supplier Honda.

The Japanese manufacturer's PU has struggled through its first season back as a full works partner, qualifying for the FIA's concession framework after falling more than four per cent behind the leading manufacturer, Red Bull-Ford, on combustion metrics.

Upgrades introduced at Zandvoort and Madrid have brought mixed results, with turbo lag and driveability issues persisting into the back end of the campaign.

Newey has insisted, however, that both his team and Honda are slowly coming together.

"I think we're making huge amounts of progress," said Newey. "It really feels now like the team's coming together.

"The team spirit within the engineering offices, in particular, is very strong now. I see a lot of ideas being generated, lots of people chatting with each other, working late in the evening.

"So, very impressed with how the individuals are really kind of… you can feel the buzz in the factory now.

"Honda, obviously, is working hard. They're a great company, as we all know, capable of great things, as they've proved many times in the past. We are working closely with them, and so I'm hopeful for the future."