Two prominent figures in Formula 1 have differing views on how quickly Adrian Newey's presence will be felt at Aston Martin.
Christian Horner recently made it clear that despite the legendary technical expert stepping away from his main duties at Red Bull some months ago, his absence isn't the sole reason for the team's drop from their previous dominance.
"One man's input could never be so dramatic so quickly," stated the Red Bull team principal.
Now that Newey has committed to Aston Martin and will begin his full-time role in March next year, another engineer, Toni Cuquerella, has cautioned against expecting an instant transformation for the Silverstone-based team.
"When Newey comes in," Cuquerella, who has previously worked with Ferrari and BMW, told DAZN, "don't think it will be an immediate impact."
Cuquerella added, "The Newey Aston Martin, possibly the 2026 car, will be a hybrid of the old team and the Newey team. The 2027 car will be the first real Newey car."
However, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher holds a completely opposite view.
The German believes Newey's influence will be visible almost right away – potentially even before he officially takes up his new role.
This is despite the fact that Newey will have no involvement in the design of the 2024 or 2025 cars.
"I am very, very sure, although he may not be officially starting until next year, that Aston Martin will make a miraculous leap as early as next year. And maybe even by the end of this year," Schumacher told Sky Deutschland.
"Adrian has been spoiled by success," he added, "but he is also known for guaranteeing it. That must of course be his goal now. And he has everything he needs at Aston Martin for that."
Schumacher also believes that Newey's enthusiasm for Red Bull waned after internal conflicts within the team became more public earlier this year.
"Newey needs certain conditions in order to do his work," said Schumacher, a six-time grand prix winner who is familiar with the engineer and spends time away from the track with both Newey and his new 'manager' Eddie Jordan.
"He has to feel comfortable, he has to have absolute trust. He just wants to do motorsport," Schumacher said.
"He wants to have enthusiastic people around him who have no sensitivities, but only one goal – to build fast cars and win races."
