Adrian Newey is widely acclaimed as the foremost design genius in F1, but that does not automatically mean every team on the grid would hire somebody like him.

The 67-year-old Englishman’s achievements are now legendary with his cars having delivered 12 Constructors’ titles and 14 Drivers’ titles during his glittering career.

Now Newey is attempting to make Aston Martin a legitimate contender on contract which is reportedly worth some £30million per year. That after ending a glorious run at Red Bull.

While so many experts and insiders (and drivers) worship at the altar of Newey and superstar technical minds like him, Alpine boss Flavio Briatore takes a different view.

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Briatore takes a different approach to team building

The 76-year-old Italian is not being critical of their skillset, it’s just that he takes a different approach to team building.

When asked by RacingNews365 what Alpine needs to take the next step in its development, Briatore responded: “Even more than a big name, we simply need someone who is very good. Because a big name often means absolutely nothing.”

Briatore put the focus specifically on Aston’s push for greatness with Newey at the helm as billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll spends big to assemble a technical ‘dream team’ in Silverstone.

As well as hiring Newey, Stroll also brought in huge influences like Andy Cowell from Mercedes and Enrico Cardile from Ferrari.

“Formula 1 creates these kinds of monsters, and over time, such a monster either works or it doesn’t,” he claimed.

“Everyone knows that Aston Martin has attracted the biggest names from the technical world.

Aston Martin results ‘lagging behind’

“Lawrence Stroll did a fantastic job building the factory and everything that goes with it, but the results are lagging behind. That is why I will never bring such a so-called top name to my team.

“In the past, we created big names ourselves with guys like Ross Brawn, Bob Bell, Pat Symonds, and James Allison.”

Briatore’s way of working has not only produced world titles in the past, it has brought Alpine now to the upper levels of the F1 midfield, battling with Racing Bulls to take it to the big guns at the front.

Aston Martin meanwhile currently lie 10th in the standings after a disastrous start to 2026, with only rookie team Cadillac beneath them.

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The 41-year-old Hamilton has enjoyed an F1 renaissance in 2026, bouncing back in spectacular style after a miserable first season at Ferrari.

He is now challenging for the title again as he goes into the second half of the season in second place in the standings – 50 points behind Italian prodigy Kimi Antonelli.

Lewis has also now got some very very good news this week about a high-profile financial investment. Spoiler alert – it’s performing incredibly well.

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F1 team owner in record $12.5bn sale

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The sale comes less than a year after Walter, who with TWG owns the Cadillac F1 team, bought the Lakers for $10bn (£7.45bn) from the Buss family in a then record deal in October 2025.

That makes a tidy 25 per cent profit from his investment in just 10 months, with Josh Kushner, the brother of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared, and a former Disney chief Bob Iger now taking a controlling interest in the huge basketball team.

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Red Bull 2.0: Meet Max Verstappen‘s new confidants after Gianpiero Lambiase exict

With the upcoming departure of Gianpiero Lambiase drawing ever closer by the day, Red Bull are now on the hunt for new trusted confidants for fourMax Verstappen.

The once dominant F1 team is now in rebuild mode after a significant talent drain which has seen the likes of Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Helmut Marko, Rob Marshall and Jonathan Wheatley all exit stage left.

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Lightning McQueen set for grand prix debut as F1 confirm ‘significant’ Disney deal

Iconic ‘Cars’ character Lightning McQueen is set for an appearance at the Italian Grand Prix after F1 and Disney announced a ‘significant’ deal extension.

“Fuel the Magic” was launched as a collaboration between F1 and Disney in 2025 with the aim of providing immersive experiences to F1 fans through Disney storytelling.

It has now been confirmed that the collaboration has been extended through 2028, adding another year to the deal and incorporating the popular Cars franchise into the partnership.

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F1 champion lost his seat after winning world title and says Michael Schumacher’s influence played a role

1996 world champion Damon Hill says that Michael Schumacher’s influence and F1’s consequent pivot towards Germany played a role in him losing his seat at Williams.

Heading into the 1996 campaign, Schumacher had just become a two-time world champion at Benetton, beating Hill to the title in 1994 and 1995 and earning himself a blockbuster move to Ferrari.

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Racing star feared Danica Patrick was going to punch him

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin has opened up on the time that he feared former rival and ex-Sky Sports F1 pundit Danica Patrick was going to punch him.

For those who don’t know, long before her days on British television reporting on F1, Patrick had an incredible career in the States, racing extensively in both IndyCar and NASCAR.

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New Cadillac team principal Marcin Budkowski has spoken out on rumours that Sergio Perez could ditch the team at the end of the year.

The American outfit chose a driver duo of Perez and Valtteri Bottas for their debut season in the sport, while plucking Colton Herta from IndyCar for an F2 drive in the hopes of developing an American star to anchor their F1 team long-term.

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F1 team boss removed from role as replacement announced

F1’s newest team Cadillac have made the shock announcement they have a new team principal in place for the rest of the season following the exit of Graeme Lowdon.

Lowdon had helped the team settle in to the world of F1 in their first season in the sport but has been replaced by Marcin Budkowski with immediate effect.

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Lewis Hamilton back with Angela Cullen for intense training during F1 summer break

While many of the Formula 1 stars have taken full advantage of the opportunity to relax during the summer break, Lewis Hamilton is leaving nothing to chance.

F1 is currently in an enforced two-week shutdown to give drivers and team staff a timeout during a long and intense season that runs from March to December.

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F1 president admits Max Verstappen talks as aggressive changes planned

Although Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has been openly critical of Max Verstappen in recent months, he is confident that next year’s rule changes will once again win over the Dutch star.

The new adjustments aim to realign the sport with its original vision and address driver concerns.

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McLaren chief issues F1 title warning after Max Verstappen lesson

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the end of the 2025 season is reason for optimism about the team’s title chances.

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