Artificial intelligence is no substitute for the mind of Adrian Newey and Aston Martin expect Formula 1’s foremost designer to have an immediate impact when he joins them next month, according to team boss Andy Cowell.
Speaking before the team’s digital 2025 car launch on Sunday, Cowell said Newey’s arrival from Red Bull was “just brilliant.”
“He’s one of the few engineers that can bridge across aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and the data logger that is the driver,” he added.
“He can communicate well with the driver and pull out the comments that the telemetry perhaps isn’t showing and can bring that back into the factory on campus and help us chase the thing that will deliver the best lap time improvement.
“I think we’ll feel the benefit of him in the opening days,” added Cowell. “I’m sure he’s frustrated with not working on a Formula 1 car at the moment, especially as there are new regulations out.
“And I’m sure he will be coming up with observations pertinent to the car concept, and also in terms of the tools, in terms of the fidelity of our tools and equipment, and his thoughts on where we should make improvements.”
Newey’s move was announced last September and the 65-year-old Brit, whose cars have won 25 drivers’ and constructors’ championships for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, has been on gardening leave with no input in the AMR25.
He is due to start at the Silverstone factory after preseason testing in Bahrain ends on Feb. 28, with the opening race in Melbourne on March 16.
Aston Martin, with Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso and Canadian Lance Stroll, finished fifth overall last season.
“Human creativity is hard to quantify, isn’t it?,” said Cowell, when asked where Newey’s “magic” lay. “There’s the threat of AI coming in and taking over from human creativity, but I think AI is a tool that helps human creativity.
“So I think individuals like Adrian, he’s got a broad perspective and the determination to chase down beliefs in performance, and I believe that’s what he will add.”
Asked whether it would be fair to say that AI would never be a substitute for Newey, Cowell replied: “You can probably make it broader than that, can’t you? It’s not just Adrian.”
Cowell also had plenty of praise for Alonso, still hungry for success at the age of 43 and more than 10 years on from his last win.
“We’re lucky that we’ve got both Fernando and Lance on long-term contracts. And that’s not a problem at the moment,” he said.
“Our challenge is coming up with a fast race car and giving it to both of them to do well. And age is a number. Fernando is a phenomenal individual today and he’s very welcome in our team.
“Fernando’s experiences and feedback are amazing. His feedback from the simulator, exceptionally good,” added the boss, who took over from Mike Krack last month and reports to owner Lawrence Stroll, Lance’s father.
Cowell said the team had set no time frame for success and would not be cutting any corners, with a new wind tunnel now in the “commissioning phase” but no date set for it to become operational.
“We have confidence that if our improvement rate is steep, and is steeper than our opponents, then we will catch them, we will get to the front,” he said.
