Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack says his Formula 1 team cannot simply sit and wait for Adrian Newey to reach before considering they will make big progress.
The Silverstone team pulled off an enormous coup by securing Newey's services following his departure from Red Bull's title-winning squad.
However, resulting from the terms of his contract with Red Bull, he can only start working at Aston Martin in March next yr, when his influence shall be focused mainly on the contender for the 2026 season.
While Newey's capture is an enormous boost for the long run, Krack says Aston Martin cannot now let the joy overshadow its current task of turning its fortunes back on the right track.
Aston have been out of order this season and Krack is obvious that progress must be made before Newey's arrival.
Asked how difficult it was to reconcile the emotions surrounding Newey and the 2026 project with the present difficulties, Krack said: “Very hard. Absolutely.
“But I think we should also use '25 as an opportunity to show Adrian what we can do. I think that should be a motivation for all of us.”
Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team
Photo: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Pressed on the potential danger posed by people sitting idly by and easily waiting for Newey to act, Krack said: “If I identify him, it won't be long.”
Although Newey has already visited the Aston Martin factory and spoken to senior management, his input stays limited as he continues to be under contract with Red Bull.
Krack said how much dialogue he and Newey could have before he officially began was out of his hands.
“I don't know,” he said. “I would like to contact our legal department.
“I believe you’ve to be very careful with things like this. You know, we don't wish to get into legal issues [matters] Moving on. It just wouldn't be right.”
Krack has little doubt that after fighting for podium places at the beginning of last season, simply fighting for points lower within the rankings isn’t any longer ok for Aston Martin.
“We're not where we want to be,” he said. “Our goal was clearly to cut back the gap to the highest 4 teams.
“At the start of the season we knew we were around fifth fastest and our goal was to cut back that gap.
“We didn't make it. Others have more catching up to do than we have closed. This is the reality and we need to understand it and address it.”
