“Adrian is a key, key, key piece of the puzzle, definitely from a technical standpoint, from a technical leadership standpoint,” Stroll said. “He’s going to lead the team, and I think that’s going to impact the entire organization.”
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Stroll’s true pursuit of Newwe began in April, after learning the legendary designer was leaving Red Bull. But the pair had already built a relationship that spanned nearly a decade since a chance meeting at the gym.
The two trained together in hotel gyms during races around the world, especially in the Middle East, and got to know each other there. So when Stroll reached out to him this year to try to seduce him, it wasn’t exactly a cold call.
Read more: Newey shares key factors that attracted him to Aston Martin amid interest from other F1 teams
He knew there would be competition for his signature. Ferrari was his biggest threat as Newey had previously said he wanted to work for the Italian manufacturer and would like to work with Lewis Hamilton, who is heading there from Mercedes next season. But Alpine, Williams and Audi were also interested.
So Stroll went all-in, as he did when he signed four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and then struck a deal to bring double world champion Fernando Alonso from Alpine within hours.
