The Red Bull parallels awaiting Newey at Aston Martin

When Adrian Newey steps into Aston Martin's Silverstone campus in 2025, it will be a fresh start in a new environment.

In joining from Red Bull, with is expected to be announced later this morning, Newey is travelling just 20 miles up the road from his current home in F1.

However, in many ways, he is travelling 19 years back.

What may seem, on first glance, like a step into the unknown, will actually be surprisingly familiar to the 65-year-old, having trodden the same path once before, in 2006, when he joined Red Bull.

And maybe that's the point.

There are significant parallels to be drawn upon the fledgling Red Bull team all those years ago and the Aston Martin team that welcomes Newey now.

Plucky outsider

Firstly, both scenarios involve a team on the periphery of contention.

Skipping over the Jaguar years, the outfit that became Red Bull first tasted victory in 1999, when Johnny Herbert won the European Grand Prix for the operation owned by - and bearing the name of - Jackie Stewart.

However, that triumph was a flash in the pan, akin to Sergio Perez's Sakhir Grand Prix win for Racing Point in 2020.

Separating those victories and Newey joining each respective team lay years of fairly consistent points finishes and a number of podiums, but, crucially, no follow-up trips to the top set of the rostrum.

Aston Martin has undoubtedly enjoyed more success than Jaguar did during the early 2000s, but given the level of expectation, it has perhaps equally under-delivered thus far - and therein lies the second parallel.

Resource and expection

Newey will enjoy similar levels of resources afforded him at Red Bull when he joins Aston Martin.

He will also find championship-winning aspirations, and expectations, to match.

Lawrence Stroll will seemingly spare no cost and cut no corner in pursuit of achieving his dream.

When Newey moved over to Red Bull from McLaren in 2006, there was one aim: win.

That will be the same case this time around and in order to replicate the success he eventually attained at the Milton Keynes-based team, Newey will need to elevate Aston Martin from a similar position.

Brand

Lastly, is brand recognition. Whilst Red Bull was seldom linked to F1 when it purchased the Jaguar team in 2005, it was already one of the biggest brands in the world.

The energy drinks manufacturer is now, truth be told, the greatest marketing conglomerate in the world.

There are, unsurprisingly, a plethora of mega-brands in modern day Formula 1. However, few can compete with the size and prestige of Aston Martin.

Newey will walk into a team desperate to match the connotations of success and luxury its brand elicits. Aston Martin is, after all, James Bond cool.

Truth be told, Ferrari, the romantic choice, would have provided equally lofty aspirations, backing, and brand.

However, pragmatism and the opportunity to transform a plucky, under-performing outside bet won through.

The Italian team, teetering on the verge of its own championship window, simply could not provide that missing ingredient and crucial parallel.

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