Adrian Newey is arguably the foremost car designer in F1. An engineer, aerodynamicist, automotive designer and motorsport executive, Newey’s designs have won 12 World Constructors’ Championship titles and 223 Grands Prix between 1991 and 2024.

He is moving from Red Bull to Aston Martin and I was taken by a quote from his new team about his induction:

“We’re looking forward to welcoming him on-site and doing an induction for a new employee, which might be a little different. “We will start work by introducing him to the key engineering and technical players within our business, showing him the business tools for engineering the car and then getting stuck into creating a 2026 car and helping with improvements on 2025.”

Aston Martin ‘extract’ crucial Red Bull tool ahead of Newey arrival

Look at your onboarding; do you do the same for a senior appointment as your other employees?

The paradox in onboarding is that, at some point in seniority, we move away from telling the new starter about us, and spend more time asking them what they want to know.