Aston Martin has hired ex-Red Bull simulation guru Giles Wood after Adrian Newey deemed the Silverstone-based team‘s Formula 1 simulator as “weak”.
The British marque hopes to enter the sport’s latest era with a championship-winning package.
With two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso in their ranks, Lawrence Stroll quickly onboarded the likes of Newey and Honda to its project for 2026.
The combination of Newey and Honda was critical to Red Bull’s success in the ground-effect era. Stroll Sr. hopes to make it work for his team, too.
That said, Newey is reported to be less-than-happy with the newly built state-of-the-art facilities at Aston Martin. Last year, he dubbed the team’s driver-in-the-loop simulator “weak” and one that “needs a lot of work.”
Stroll Sr. has been quick to accede to his Team Principal’s demands, by hiring his former partner-in-crime Giles Wood, a highly-rated simulation technician.
To round this off, Aston Martin have also secured services of Marco Fainello – who has worked with Ferrari on its simulator.
How Adrian Newey fits into Aston Martin’s F1 title plans
With the latest technical rule-set set to revamp the very fabric of the sport, Newey’s expertise in nailing regulations by reading between the lines will be crucial to the team’s competitive hopes.
Heading into the private test at Barcelona, later this month, and the first race of the season in Melbourne, Stroll Sr. kept his cards close to his chest in terms of the expectations within the team and back at the factory.
“No one knows at this time of the year how everyone’s going to look in Melbourne,” he said. “For sure, we don’t have all the tools to be a top team, so there’s no hiding behind that, but time will tell how good we look.
“I think, for us, it’s exciting, going forward to the new regulations, with everyone coming on board, the new structure and all the people. We’re looking forward to it as a team.”
Coming to Newey, the Canadian business mogul highlighted how the Briton’s stature only gees the people around him. Moreover, Newey’s inherent competitive instinct is only going to make the team sharper.
“I think it’s just good for everyone because Adrian is just all about performance and winning,” Stroll added.
“That’s what we’re here for, to be fast and competitive, and that’s what Adrian’s pushing everyone to be better at. Having Adrian around is only positive for everyone to push, everyone to be better and to make the car faster.”
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