Honda detail 'intense' Adrian Newey conversations as Aston Martin chapter awaits

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) president Koji Watanabe has detailed the "intense" conversations that have taken place with Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey.

Honda's switch from powering Red Bull to Aston Martin from next year has brought about a reunion between the Japanese manufacturer and Newey, who was recently announced as the sqaud's team principal from 2026.

Newey spent several years working with Honda while at Red Bull, helping the Milton Keynes-based outfit secure multiple championships.

He officially joined Aston Martin at the start of March this year, with Watanabe recalling his first meeting with Newey upon the designer’s arrival at the British team.

"We laughed a lot in the first meeting after he joined Aston Martin Aramco – it was very much a case of, 'Well, here we are again!' It's very exciting that he's here and, of course, there is huge respect for him and his capabilities," Watanabe explained in Aston Martin's Undercut series.

"In terms of power unit development, we have our processes and timetable for making a power unit that is capable and competitive, and Adrian has been working from day one on doing the same for the chassis – so we're working very closely and communicating a great deal at the point where those two things meet."

According to Watanabe, Newey is an individual he is "frequently" in contact with, at times with an intense nature to their conversations. 

However, the duo's talks are always based on the same end goal: winning. 

"Adrian is one of the people I communicate with frequently, and it's often a quite intense exchange of opinions, suggestions, and feedback – but always with the focus on winning," said Watanabe.

"Whenever we're having a technical discussion about components or development, it's always with the long-term focus on how we get the win. 

"And that can be about anything: it might be a very detailed design issue, but equally it might be about competitor analysis, or how to manage people to get the best out of them, or even finance and using the limitations of the cost cap most effectively."