Adrian Newey holds talks with Lawrence Stroll after “secret” Aston Martin HQ tour

Aston Martin have reportedly emerged as the frontrunners to sign Adrian Newey.

The F1 tech genius will depart Red Bull in early-2025 and his availability has put the sport’s top teams on red alert.

Ferrari have long been rumoured as his likeliest landing spot but Aston Martin have taken a major leap forward in the hunt for his signature.

Newey had held talks with Lawrence Stroll, the team’s billionaire owner, The Times reports.

Newey was also given a private tour of Aston Martin’s Silverstone facility which they hoped to keep ‘secret’, the newspaper reports.

Newey is free to join a new employer next year which would give him enough time to oversee their 2026 car.

F1’s new regulations come into effect in 2026, and anyone employing Newey to steer them in the right direction would have a huge advantage heading into the next era.

Red Bull, whose RB20 is the brain child of Newey and his colleagues, remain the most dominant team in Formula 1 heading into this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

However, the field has converged this season with McLaren and Ferrari boasting grand prix winners too.

Although Max Verstappen is set to wrap up a fourth title in a row this year, Red Bull's season has been controversial. The furore around Christian Horner overshadowed the early part of the year.

Newey then confirmed his exit, giving Red Bull's rivals hope that they could recruit one of the most respected minds in F1.

It is Aston Martin, rather than Ferrari, who have seemingly edged closer to convincing Newey.