Red Bull's Newey confirmed to join rivals Aston Martin from next year

Red Bull’s design guru Adrian Newey has confirmed he will join Aston Martin next year.

The 65-year-old has been credited with the Tilbrook team’s dominance in recent years, in a career which has seen him win 12 constructor’s championships and 13 driver’s titles for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.

Earlier this year though, he confirmed he would be leaving the team he joined in 2006 amidst rumours of unrest at the Milton Keynes team.

In a move which has shaken F1, Newey has also become a shareholder in the Aston Martin team, owned by Lawrence Stroll and currently piloted by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll - son of the owner.

“Lawrence is determined to create a world-beating team,” said Newey. “He is the only majority team owner who is actively engaged in the sport.

“His commitment is demonstrated in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus and wind tunnel at Silverstone, which are not only state of the art but have a layout that creates a great environment to work in.

“They have all the key pieces of infrastructure needed to make Aston Martin a world championship-winning team and I am very much looking forward to helping reach that goal.”

Owner Stroll added: “Adrian is the best in the world at what he does - he is at the top of his game.

“It's the biggest story since the Aston Martin name returned to the sport and another demonstration of our ambition to build an F1 team capable of fighting for world championships. As soon as Adrian became available, we knew we had to make it happen.

“Our initial conversations confirmed that there was a shared desire to collaborate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I have ever met. He quickly understood what we are trying to achieve. We mean business - and so does he.”